THE 

RECORDING 
ANGEL 


BY 

EDWIN  ARNOLD  BRENHOLTZ 


THE  RECORDING 
ANGEL 

A  NOVEL 

BY 

EDWIN  ARNOLD  BRENHOLTZ 

Chicago 

CHARLES  H.  KERR  &  COMPANY 

56  Fifth  Avenue 

1905 

Copyright,  1905 
By  Charles  H.  Kerr  &  Company 


All  rights  reserved 


IOHN  P.  """""'^ffl^j^,'"-1"  OLARK  »T. 
PRINTER,  BINDER ^SoS55**        CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


tEfyts  book  is  respectfully  bebtcateo 

Uo  tbe  TClorl&'s  Morhingmen 

(Ctt  present  rtcfj  anb  poor) 

By  tfyeir  fellon?=laborer— €.  <X  B. 


"O  dust,  whose  mask  is  power; 
Reed,  that  would'st  be  a  scourge  thy  little  hour! 
Spark,  whereon  yet  the  mighty  hath  not  trod, 
And  therefore  thou  destroyest !    Where  were  flown 
Our  hopes,  if  man  were  left  to  man's  decrees  alone?" 

— Mrs.  Hemans. 


U  \of 


PREFACE 

This  book  is  a  flight  of  fancy,  pure  and  simple,  since, 
of  course,  not  one  of  the  characters  mentioned  ever  has 
been  or  will  be  in  existence — any  more  than  have  the 
unjust  and  monstrous  conditions  herein  set  forth  ever  been 
endured  for  a  single  moment  by  a  free  and  thinking  people. 

This  being  the  case,  an  apology  seems  to  be  due  for 
having  brought  this  dream  of  a  leisure  hour  to  the  notice 
of  the  public. 

In  extenuation  it  may  be  said  that  relaxation  from 
the  strain  of  reading  of  the  horrors  of  life  as  depicted  daily 
for  us  in  the  newspapers  and  the  insufferable  dulness  of  a 
literature  that  has  consigned  divine  imagination  to  the 
winds  renders  it  imperative  that  we  have  something  to 
take  the  place  of  the  impossibilities  of  the  Arabian  Nights 
of  our  youthful  days;  and  in  the  hope  that  you  may  be 
beguiled  into  forgetfulness — carried  away  from  yourself  on 
the  blessed  wings  of  imagination  into  the  land  where 
impossibilities  become  actualities — for  at  least  an  hour, — 
this  volume  is  handed  to  you  by  —     The  Author. 


CONTENTS 


I.  On  the  Oppressor's  Side  was  Power g 

II.  The   End  is  not   while  we  can  say,  "This  is  the 

End"    19 

III.  The  Quality  of   Mercy  is  not  Strained 22 

IV.  Till  we  Meet  Again 30 

V.  There  are  Swift  Hours  in  Life 36 

VI.  The  Massive  Gates  of  Circumstance 46 

VII.  He  Laughs  Best  who  Laughs  Last 57 

VIII.  The  Best  Laid  Plans  of  Mice  and  Men 75 

IX.  Do  Them — or  They'll  Do  You 89 

X.  It  is  the  Unexpected  that  Happens 98 

XI.  But  when  to  Mischief  Mortals  Bend  their  Will...  107 

XII.  Beyond    the    Infinite    and    Boundless    Reach     of 

Mercy    118 

XIII.  Why  the  World  are  all  Thinking  about  it 127 

XIV.  There  are  Several  Ways  to  Kill  a  Cat 133 

XV.  A  Consistent  Liar  is  the  Devil  Incarnate 144 

XVI.  I  Cannot  Tell  what  you  and  Other  Men  Think..  169 

XVII.  It's  an  III  Wind  that  Blows  no  one  any  Good 181 

XVIII.  The  Devil   Incarnate   would   Still  be   Partly   Hu- 

man    195 

XIX.  Life  is  a  Disease  of  which  Sleep  Relieves  us 211 

XX.  Oh,  what  a  Fall  was  There,  my  Countrymen 223 

XXI.  For,  Some  days  must  be  Dark  and  Dreary 232 

XXII.  The  Telling  of  it  All  lets  in  a  Flood  of  Light 242 

XXIII.  The  Recording  Angel  Causes  All  the  Trouble 264 

XXIV.  Dust  to  Dust  !    Ashes  to  Ashes  ! 279 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2010  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/recordingangelnoOObren 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 


CHAPTER  I. 

"On  the  oppressor's   side  was  power; 
But  I  knew  that  every  wrong, 
However  old,  however  strong, 
But  waited  God's  avenging  hour." 

— Whittier. 

"Nettie,"  said  the  old  man  suddenly,  "Nettie,  don't  you 
expect  Charlie  to  come  to  see  you  tonight?" 

"Certainly  I  do,"  said  the  young  girl  who  had  been  sit- 
ting quietly,  sewing  steadily  at  a  piece  of  work  which  she 
now  threw  impatiently  aside  as  if  her  father's  words  had 
broken  through  the  restraint  she  was  putting  on  herself. 
"Certainly  I  do,"  she  repeated,  "and  he  is  an  hour  late 
now.  Last  night,  as  you  know,  being  the  first  Monday  in 
the  month,  was  the  regular  meeting  night  for  the  Union; 
and  so,  he  cannot  be  there.  It  may  be  another  of  those 
committee  meetings,  though;  but  he  said  nothing  to  me 
about  one.  Anyway,  it's  no  use  for  me  to  sew  any  more 
button  holes  tonight;  for,  somehow,  I'm  more  nervous 
than  I  have  ever  before  been  in  my  life." 

"There  was  no  accident  at  the  works  today,  was  there, 
father?"  she  cried,  turning  suddenly  towards  the  old  man 
• — and  then  hastily  added,  "I  forgot  that  you  were  not 
there." 

"No,  child,  no!"  said  he,  "not  that  I  have  heard  of;  at 
least,  not  to  him,  or  I  would  have  told  you ;  but  you  know 
that  at  any  place  where  over  three  thousand  men  are  work- 
ing there  will  scarcely  a  day  pass  but  one  or  more  will  be 
hurt  or  even  killed,  in  the  hurry  and  the  rush,  and  the 
whirling  of  so  much  machinery." 

"Yes,  yes!"  said  the  girl  as  she  walked  quickly  to  the 

9 


io  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

window  and  impatiently  pulled  up  the  shade,  "I  know  all 
that.  Oh,  what  we  women  have  to  suffer,  when  we  love 
any  one;  and  I  have  two  to  worry  about,"  she  added,  under 
her  breath.  But  as  she  heard  her  own  words  a  look  of 
pleasure  came  over  her  face — which  made  her  father  smile 
as  he  noticed  it — and  he  said,  "Well,  dear,  you  know  that 
we  get  nothing  in  this  world  without  paying  the  price; 
and  I  do  not  think  that  either  you  or  I  will  ever  regret  the 
cost  of  love.  Only  those  regret  that  who  expect  to  get  it 
for  nothing." 

As  his  quiet  voice  filled  the  room  the  restlessness  of  the 
girl's  movements  became  less,  and  finally  she  dropped  into 
the  chair  that  she  had  left,  took  up  the  work  again,  and 
was  silent  for  a  while. 

No  sound  was  heard  in  the  house  but  the  steady  rock- 
ing of  the  chair.  The  woman  who  came  daily  to  do  the 
hard,  rough  work — and  to  help  with  the  cooking — had 
gone  home  for  the  night.  The  stillness  was  so  intense  that 
the  creaking  of  Nettie's  chair  seemed  to  mark  off  the 
seconds  as  they  passed.  Outside,  the  night  was  still  and 
cold — for  the  month  was  November.  The  leafless  trees 
in  the  garden  seemed  to  be  keeping  watch,  and  in  the  dis- 
tance the  sky  was  reddened  at  regular  intervals,  and  the 
roar  of  the  furnaces  could  be  distinctly  heard. 

At  last  the  silence  within  the  room  became  unbearable 
to  the  girl  and  she  threw  the  work  aside,  saying,  "Yes, 
you  are  right,  father!  And  I  want  to  tell  you  about  a  talk 
I  had  with  Jack  Cassady.  You  remember  it  is  three 
months  since  he  was  hurt  at  the  works.  Well,  I  have  been 
going  to  see  the  family  ever  since,  and  as  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  he  would  recover — although  he  will  always  be 
a  cripple — I  commenced  trying  to  show  him  the  peace  of 
mind  he  might  enjoy  if  only  he  believed  in  Christianity. 
Lately,  I  have  not  talked  to  him  on  the  subject;  for  right 
after  he  was  hurt  he  said  that  he  would  like  to  believe  it  if 
he  could,  and  I  told  him  that  it  was  a  free  salvation,  and 
he  broke  out  so  violently  that  the  doctor  says  no  one 
must  mention  the  subject  to  him.  The  doctor  insists  that 
the  excitement  will  take  away  the  man's  last  chance  for 
recovery;  and  so,  I'll  content  myself  with  singing  to  him — 
for,  that,  he  says,  does  him  good — as  it  puts  him  to  sleep. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  n 

Isn't  that  a  funny  compliment,  Daddy?"  and  she  laughed 
merrily. 

But  at  the  memory  of  the  scene  she  was  recounting 
she  became  serious  once  more  and  said:  "Poor  fellow,  he 
does  not  mean  it  in  that  way  at  all.  I  cannot  forget  what 
he  said  as  he  threw  his  arms  violently  about  his  head  and 
cried,  'Oh,  yes,  it's  free,  free,  isn't  it!  A  nice  free  that  is 
which  is  only  to  be  got  by  paying  the  price  of  believing 
what  I  can't  believe  at  all.' 

"That  is  all  he  said,  for  he  hit  his  arm  on  the  head- 
board of  the  bed  and  tore  open  the  bandage  of  that  ter- 
rible wound,  and  then  he  fainted." 

"I've  never  had  much  use  for  your  district  visiting," 
said  her  father  bluntly. 

"Well,"  she  continued  meditatively,  "I've  concluded  to 
let  some  one  who  could  present  the  consolation  of  religion 
in  such  a  manner  that  it  would  console,  do  my  work  as 
district  visitor  hereafter.  Every  man  to  his  own  work, 
say  I;  and  that  is,  evidently,  not  mine.  But — there's 
Charlie's  step  at  the  gate!  Now,  Father,  take  up  that 
paper!  I'm  not  going  to  give  him  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  we  were  anxious  about  him." 

And  so  the  picture  of  quiet  contentment  that  met  the 
eyes  of  Charles  Arndt  as,  after  his  knock,  he  entered  the 
cheerful  sitting  room  of  Angus  MacDonald's  house,  would 
have  quieted  a  more  excitable  man  than  even  Arndt — had 
he  been  in  his  usual  condition. 

His  knock  had  been  answered  by  Angus  in  a  loud  voice, 
who  cried,  "What  are  you  knocking  for,  man?  Come  in. 
Come  in!"  Then,  turning  to  his  daughter,  Angus  said, 
"There's  something  wrong,  sure.  Go  out  to  meet  him." 
But  she  shook  her  head  and  sat  still. 

Arndt  was  a  tall  muscular  fellow  of  perhaps  twenty- 
five,  and  he  usually  had  good  control  of  his  muscles  and 
rarely  showed  emotion;  but  tonight — after  he  had  shaken 
hands  with  Angus  and  stooped  over  the  chair  where  Nettie 
was  still  busily  employed  with  the  sewing  which  she  had 
hastily  picked  up  again — there  was  considerable  excite- 
ment visible  in  his  eyes,  and  he  placed  his  hands  on  her 
arms,  just  below  the  shoulders — and  with  no  apparent 
effort  raised  her  to  her  feet.    Then,  as  he  looked  down  into 


12  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

her  face,  (for  her  eyes  refused  to  meet  his),  he  said  "Look 
at  me,  Nettie.  I  want  a  kiss — right  here  and  now.  Never 
mind  your  father!" 

At  these  words  the  blue  eyes  flashed  open,  and  she 
quickly  retreated  one  step  away  from  him,  and  cried 
angrily,  "What  do  you  mean,  Sir?" 

But  he  never  moved  toward  her;  and,  as  her  question- 
ing eyes  gazed  steadily  into  his,  she  saw  something  in  the 
whole  appearance  of  the  man  which  caused  her  to  forget 
even  that  he  was  her  lover,  and  a  wave  of  pity  for  him 
swept  over  her,  and  she  took  back  that  step  and  threw  her 
arms  around  his  neck  and  cried,  "You  poor  boy — not  one 
kiss,  but  a  dozen  if  you  want  them." 

Then  he  slowly  placed  his  hands  one  on  each  side  of 
her  face  and  stooping  kissed  her  on  her  lips,  and  then 
released  her. 

Angus  MacDonald  made  no  motion,  nor  even  parted 
his  tightly  closed  lips,  during  this  scene.  His  pipe  had 
been  laid  on  the  table  when  Arndt  entered  the  room,  and 
there  was  no  fire  in  it  now.  As  Nettie — still  gazing  at 
Arndt  as  if  to  find  out  all  about  him — sank  back  into  her 
chair  her  father  broke  the  silence  with,  "Well,  Charlie, 
my  man,  what  is  the  matter?" 

"Oh,  nothing,  and  everything,"  said  Arndt;  "nothing 
with  the  universe  at  large,  and  everything  with  me  and 
mine.  I've  a  long  story  to  tell  you,  so  I'll  sit  down.  And 
Nettie,  dear,"  turning  to  the  girl  who  was  still  looking 
steadily  at  him,  "I  had  to  have  that  kiss  before  I  told  my 
story.  I  didn't  feel  equal  to  telling  all  without  it — and 
then,  perhaps,  you  may  not  like  what  I  have  done." 

Neither  the  father  nor  the  daughter  replied  by  word  or 
motion,  and  the  young  man  proceeded  half  defiantly,  "Well, 
Mr.  MacDonald,  it  is  only  that  what  you  have  warned  me 
about  has  happened,  at  last.  There's  no  use  kicking  against 
Fate,  anyhow;  it  works  its  will  with  all  of  us.  No,  Sir! 
I'm  not  discharged  from  the  works.  I've  resigned  my 
position  in  the  Consolidated  Iron  and  Steel  Company." 

Angus,  during  these  words,  had  pulled  his  pipe  towards 
him  and  slowly  filled  it  from  the  big  box  of  tobacco  which 
stood  on  the  table.  Nettie  now  reached  over  towards  her 
father  and  handed  him  a  match,  which  he  lighted  by  press- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  13 

ing  the  head  against  the  hot  glass  of  the  lamp  chimney. 
As  he  watched  the  match  flame  up  with  a  little  explosion 
and,  as  usual,  leave  a  black  mark  upon  the  brilliantly  pol- 
ished surface  of  the  chimney,  she  smiled  to  think  how 
much  pleasure  her  father  got  out  of  this  little  habit  of  his. 
That  the  chimney  would  be  hard  to  clean  had  never 
occurred  to  him,  and  she  had  never  mentioned  it.  Charles 
Arndt  sat,  quietly  taking  in  every  motion  of  father  and 
daughter,  thinking  how  many  times  he  had  enjoyed  the 
same  picture.  Not  many  of  the  world's  pictures  are  trans- 
ferred to  canvas,  and  Arndt  was  one  of  those  who  could 
enjoy  the  ones  which  the  painters  miss  while  they  are  fool- 
ing with  the  nude. 

As  Angus  applied  the  lighted  match  to  his  pipe  and 
pulled  the  first  whiff  of  smoke  through  the  stem  Arndt 
said,  "Do  you  care  to  hear  the  story?"  and  the  girl  cried 
sharply,  "Why  not,  Charlie?" 

Angus  slowly  blew  the  smoke  from  his  mouth  and  said 
calmly,  "Why  not,  man?     Who  should  hear  it  if  not  we?" 
Arndt  replied,  "Oh,  well,  there  are  people  in  this  world 
who  would  have  found  what  I  have  told  you,  sufficient. 
One  does  not  get  work  easily  these  days— plenty  of  men 
and  few  jobs — and  a  black-listed  man  has  a  hard  time  of  it. 
Oh,  yes!  I  resigned  on  the  spot — but  that  won't  prevent 
my  name  getting  on  the  list.     Worst  offence  on  the  cata- 
logue at  that :  Telling  the  truth  to  my  employer.      Oh,  of 
course,  you  yourself  are  a  boss,  Angus,  and  you  know  they 
don't  call  it  by  that  name  in  the  report.     Well,  it's  quite  a 
story,  so  I'd  better  begin — for  it  goes  a  long  way  back. 
You  are  well  acquainted  with  Robert  Endy,  Jr.,  Esquire, 
and  know  him  most  as  well  as  I  do.    As  you  are  aware,  he' 
and  I  were  boys  together;  same  schools, "same  church  and 
Sunday  school.      I  quit  school  a  little  before  he  did,  to 
learn  my  trade,  and  had  served  two  years  of  my  appren- 
ticeship when  he  appeared  in  the  shops.     Now,  up  to  the 
time  when  he  went  off  to  school  we  were  chums,  and  I 
spent  lots  of  time  at  the  mansion;  but  the  two  years  of 
separation  changed  all  that,  and  he  has  seemed  to  dislike 
me  ever  since  his  return.     His  health  had  failed,  they  said, 
as  a  reason  for  his  not  continuing  and  finishing  his  course 
Anyhow,  he  had  only  two  years^  schooling  that  I  did  not 


i4  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

get,  and,  as  I  had  kept  up  my  studies  at  the  night  school, 
I'm  sure  that  I  knew  more  about  my  business  than  he  did, 
and  as  much  about  everything  else;  for  he  was  not  a  par- 
ticularly bright  boy.  So  I  had  two  years  advantage  of 
him  in  the  shops.  Well,  he  is  the  son  of  the  Honorable 
Robert  Endy  with  a  lot  of  the  alphabet  after  his  name — 
and  untold  millions  in  his  pocket." 

"He  is  a  good  man,  and  a  kind  friend  to  me,"  inter- 
rupted Angus. 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  Arndt,'Tm  not  saying  one  word  against 
old  Mr.  Endy;  he  is  all  that  you  say,  and  I  wish  that  all 
rich  men  were  like  him.  Only,  the  way  his  position  in  the 
world  operated  to  help  his  son  was  a  hardship  to  every 
apprentice  in  the  works.  It  makes  me  laugh  every  time  I 
hear  that  So-and-So's  son  has  been  learning  his  trade  just 
like  a  poor  man's  boy.  Why,  it's  an  infamous  lie!"  he 
cried  hotly. 

"Mildly,  mildly,  Charlie,"  said  Nettie. 

"Now,  Angus,"  he  said,  as  the  old  man  raised  his  hand 
as  if  about  to  speak,  "I  know  you  are  a  just  man,  and  you 
cannot  deny  that  every  rich  man's  son  who  has  gone 
through  our  shops  has  learned  the  trade  in  the  time  that 
all  of  us  ought  to  have  learned  it,  if  we  hadn't  been  held 
back  to  wipe  greasy  machinery,  and  the  like.  Oh,  I'm  not 
blaming  you"  (as  Angus  started  to  say  something);  "I 
know  you  tried  to  make  things  as  equal  as  you  could,  and 
that  your  orders  were  to  rush  them  through.  I  don't  say 
they  didn't  learn  their  trade,  either.  I  only  say  we  had  to 
do  their  part  of  the  dirty  work.  There  may  be  shops  in 
the  United  States  where  this  is  not  the  rule;  and  I  think 
that  it  was  not  quite  so  bad  in  the  past  century;  but  you 
cannot  deny  that  even  if  those  men's  sons  had  to  learn  the 
trade  just  the  same  as  the  rest  of  us  the  lower  positions 
were  the  ones  ahead  of  us  and  the  prospect  and  reality  of 
the  higher  ones  always  ahead  of  them.  I  do  not  call  this 
justice.  I  would  have  been  more  fitted  for  Endy's  position 
today  than  he  is  if  I  had  not  been  held  back  to  give  him 
his  chance.  It  is  egotism,  isn't  it — but,  it's  also  the  truth. 
Anyway,  I  must  just  tell  my  story.  In  spite  of  my  two 
years'  start  of  him — and  the  fact  that  I  studied  almost 
every  night  at  the  technical  side  of  my  trade — Bob  Endy 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  15 

was  through  that  part  of  the  business  a  year  ahead  of  me, 
and  I,  this  morning,  was  an  under-boss  in  the  works,  and 
he  was  made  Assistant  Superintendent  of  this  division  of 
the  plant,  yesterday  ;  and  he  took  charge  this  morning.  Of 
course,  all  this  is  no  news  to  you,  Angus,  but,"  turning  to 
Nettie,  "I  suppose  that  the  latter  portion  of  it  is  to  you." 

"Some  of  it  I  knew,"  she  said  quietly. 

"Well,  Angus,"  said  Arndt,  "how  do  you  like  the  idea 
of  the  Honorable  Robert  for  a  boss?" 

But  MacDonald  said  only,  "What  has  that  got  to  do 
with  your  story,  Charlie?" 

"Oh!"  said  the  other  quickly,  "perhaps  more  than  you 
think." 

Angus  half  rose  from  his  chair  but  settled  back  again 
and  said,  "You  haven't  told  me  a  thing  I  didn't  know. 
All  that  you've  said  about  favoritism  is  true;  but  I've  often 
tried  to  point  out  to  you  that  some  men  must  rule,  that 
some  must  fill  these  higher  positions  and  some  do  the 
rougher  tasks  and  that  we  simply  cannot  alter  the  working 
of  the  laws  of  evolution.     For — as  Longfellow  expresses  it: 

'Some   must    follow   and    some    command, 
Though  all  are  made  of  clay.' 

"It  is  perfectly  natural  for  the  rich  man  to  educate  his 
sons  for  these  commanding  positions — and  in  the  only  way 
possible;  that  is,  by  having  them  go  right  through  the 
works  like  any  other  young  man.  And,  of  course,  they 
are  anxious  to  have  their  children  get  through  the 
drudgery  and  dirty  part  of  it  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
trouble  does  not  lie  there.  These  rich  corporations  should 
pay  men  who  have  a  capacity  for  nothing  higher,  to  do 
that  work,  and  thus  relieve  some  of  the  poverty  of  the 
world.  And  as  for  your  studying  at  night ;  why,  I  think 
you  should  see  that  you  got  your  position  of  under-boss  so 
soon,  simply  because  you  were  fitted  for  it." 

He  paused  as  Arndt  made  an  impatient  gesture  with 
his  hand  and  broke  out,  "Oh,  yes!  but  you  forget  to  men- 
tion that  in  spite  of  my  fitness  it  was  necessary  for  my 
friend  Angus  MacDonald  to  say  a  word  or  so  for  me. 
We've  gone  over  that  ground  often;  but  of  the  injustice 


16  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

of  the  whole  system  to  the  rest  of  us,  you  always  refuse 
to  speak." 

"Well,"  said  Angus,  "you  call  it  injustice,  and  it  looks 
like  injustice  and  cruelty;  but  it  is  simply  the  way  in  which 
the  law  of  evolution  works — the  world  over.  You  cannot 
deny  that  the  big  fish  eats  the  little  fish  simply  because  he 
is  big  and  able  to  do  it — and  is  hungry.  The  feelings  of 
the  little  fish  do  not  seem  to  be  considered  any  more  than 
the  feelings  of  the  still  smaller  fish  whom  he  ate  for  his 
breakfast  have  been  taken  into  account.  It's  the  old  rule, 
'Unto  him  that  hath  shall  be  given'  and,  although  it  seems 
to  be  cruel,  it  all  appears  to  work  out  all  right — if  only  we 
don't  think  about  individual  feelings." 

Here  Arndt  interrupted:  "But  it's  individual  cases  and 
individual  feelings  that  I  am  talking  about.  I  know  the  ins 
and  outs  of  the  application  of  this  theory  of  yours  to  the 
universe  in  general,  and — " 

He  was  going  on,  but  Nettie  stopped  him  with  a  ges- 
ture and  a  look,  and  said,  "Charlie,  why  did  you  lose  your 
place?" 

Then  he  said  bitterly,  "Oh,  I  see,  you  have  got  rid  of 
my  resignation  as  easily  as  Endy  will — when  he  places  my 
name  on  the  blacklist." 

She  looked  appealingly  at  him  and  he  smiled  to  her  as 
he  lightly  said,  "It  is  all  very  simple.  The  spirit  of  seventy- 
six  rose  in  its  might  today  in  the  person  of  Charles  Arndt, 
under-boss  in  the  locomotive  department  of  the  C.  I.  and 
S.  Company,  and  when  the  Right  Honorable  Endy, 
Esquire,  addressed  him  as  Number  703  he  quietly  remarked 
that  his  name  was  Charles  Arndt,  and  that  he  hadn't  for- 
gotten either  it  or  the  fact  that  the  person  who  addressed 
him  as  if  he  were  a  convict  was  called  Robert  Endy." 

"Good!"  cried  Nettie  as  she  drew  her  chair  close  to  him 
and  laid  her  hand  on  his  which  had  the  arm  of  the  chair  in 
a  tight  and  hard  grip.  "Good!  I  say.  I  am  proud  of  you. 
What  did  Endy  say?" 

And  Angus  added,  "What  did  the  Superintendent  say?" 
but  he  did  not  echo  that  "Good." 

As  Arndt  felt  that  touch  he  opened  his  tight  grip  on 
the  arm  of  the  chair  and  stroked  the  soft,  warm  hand — 
which  now  rested  where  his  had — and  he  replied,  "Oh,  he 


C 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  17 

just  drew  himself  up  in  that  pompous  style  of  his  and  said: 
'Number  703,  please  report  at  my  office  in  an  hour,'  and  he 
turned  away.  But  I  stepped  in  front  of  him  and  said,  'Mr. 
Superintendent,  it  will  be  unnecessary,  since  I  hand  you  my 
resignation  on  the  spot — to  take  effect  at  your  pleasure,' 
and  he  replied,  'At  once,  then,  if  you  please.  Number  704 
temporarily  fill  the  position,'  and  in  half  an  hour  number 
907  had  been  promoted  to  the  place,  permanently." 

"Too  bad,  too  bad,"  said  Angus  with  a  sigh.  "I've  been 
afraid  of  it  ever  since  that  order  came  out.  There  is  not 
a  man,  who  is  a  man,  who  likes  to  be  called  by  a  number 
instead  of  a  name.  Why,  I've  had  a  fancy  that  even  the 
locomotives  don't  like  it — though  we  do  make  so  many  o£ 
them  that  it  seems  useless  to  even  try  to  get  names  for 
them  all,  and  there  are  plenty  of  numbers  to  go  around; 
but  in  the  men's  case  the  real  trouble  is  that  it  is  actually 
easier  to  remember  a  man's  name  than  his  number,  and  so, 
the  first  thing  that  comes  after  that  order  is  the  logical  con- 
sequence that  the  men  have  to  wear  their  numbers — and 
then  you've  got  them  tagged  like  slaves  or  convicts;  and 
that  seems  to  be  everlastingly  preventing  the  only  good 
thing  ever  I  could  see  in  the  law  of  evolution ;  namely,  that 
its  ultimate  result  appeared  to  be  to  turn  out  a  higher  aver- 
age of  manhood  all  around;  but  if  the  thing  is  going  to 
work  this  way — and  turn  out  only  a  few  men — and  the  rest 
of  us  numbers,  and  therefore  not  individuals,  and  there- 
fore not  men,  why,  I  am  sure  I  do  not  like  the  prospect — 
although  my  likes  and  dislikes  will  not  change  anything, 
either. 

"I've  not  liked  that  order,  and  I've  not  been  very  strict 
about  its  being  enforced." 

Here  he  looked  quizzically  at  Arndt,  who  laughed  as  he 
said,  "Not  very;  and  the  men  all  appreciate  your  making  a 
dead  letter  of  it  for  those  under  you,  and  we  wish  that  you 
would  throw  your  influence  in  our  favor  by  joining  the 
Union.     We  need  such  men  as  you  very  much." 

But  the  old  man  said,  "Can't  do  it,  Charlie.  Can't  do 
it !  I  am  afraid  that  the  outcome  of  the  combination  of  the 
workingmen  will  be  a  civil  war — that  is  Mr.  Endy's  opin- 
ion, also.  And,  of  course,  you  were  wrong  to  get  into 
trouble  about  the  numbering.      One  must  just  grin  and 


18  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

bear  some  things.  What  are  you  and  Nettie  going  to  do 
about  it?  You  can't  get  married  on  nothing  today  and 
no  more  for  tomorrow,  and  I  suppose  you're  both  too 
proud  to  take  mOney  from  me." 

Arndt  said  nothing,  waiting  for  Nettie  to  speak;  but  he 
had  only  an  instant  to  wait,  for  at  her  father's  question  her 
hand  dosed  tightly  over  the  fingers  that  had  been  softly 
stroking  kers,  and  she  said  emphatically,  "We  are  going  to 
be  true  to  each  other  and  are  going  to  wait  for  better 
times,"  and  then  questioningly  to  Arndt,  "Are  we  not, 
dear?" 

And  he  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips  and  said,  "Sweet- 
heart, we  are!" 


CHAPTER  II. 

"The  end  is  not  while  we  can  say,  'This  is  the  end.'  " 

— Homely  Truths. 

After  a  few  moments  silence  Arndt  said  to  Nettie, 
"Little  girl,  it  is  very  late,  and  I  ought  to  go;  but  I  want 
to  smoke  a  pipe  with  your  father,  and,  since  it  is  too  cold 
to  walk  out  of  doors  as  we  do  in  summer  time,  I'll  have  to 
ask  you  to  say  good-night  and  leave  us  to  smoke  indoors." 

"Well  I  declare,"  she  cried;  "if  that  isn't  presumption. 
The  idea  of  your  sending  me  to  bed!  Why,  I'll  tell  you, 
Sir,  that  not  even  my  father  has  done  that  for,  lo,  these 
many  years.     And  I'm " 

But  what  she  was  or  was  not,  was  not  told — that  night ; 
for  she  saw  a  look  of  trouble  in  Arndt's  eyes  that  stopped 
her  suddenly,  and  she  went  over  to  her  father's  chair  and 
leaned  down  and  kissed  him  on  the  forehead  and  then  on 
the  lips  and  said,  "Good-night,  Daddy.  Good-night, 
Daddy,  dear!  Don't  you  worry;  it  will  come  out  all  right 
in  the  end — and  '  Tis  the  end  that  crowns  the  work,'  you 
know." 

As  she  came  around  to  Arndt's  side  of  the  table  he  left 
his  chair  and  placed  his  arm  about  her  and  they  walked 
together  to  the  door  where  he — as  he  stooped  to  kiss  her 
— said,  "I  must  talk  about  my  plans  to  your  father,  first, 
dear,"  and  she  said,  "That's  right,"  and  started  for  the 
stairs  where  she  stopped  for  an  instant  in  the  full  light 
of  the  lamp  and  then  hastily  ran  back  to  the  door  which 
Arndt — who  was  still  looking  at  her — was  holding  open. 
Here  she  raised  her  face  to  him  and  said,  "Remember,  you 
are  mine;  and  I'm  never,  never,  going  to  give  you  up — 
unless  you  want  me  to." 

And  he  said,  "I  will  never  forget  it,  Sweetheart,"  and 
then  he  kissed  her  once  more — and  not  until  she  was  out 
of  sight  did  he  close  the  door. 

"Now,"  said  Angus  as  the  young  man  resumed  his 

19 


20  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

seat  and  filled  a  pipe  which  he  had  taken  from  the  mantel 
shelf,  "Now,  tell  me  the  whole  truth." 

"All  right,"  said  Arndt;  "what  I've  told  you  is  correct 
so  far  as  it  goes;  but  it  only  goes  a  little  of  the  way,  as 
you  can  guess.  I'm  sorry  that  it  seemed  necessary  to  dis- 
regard your  wishes  in  this  matter.  I  did  not  know  how 
you  would  look  at  it,  either,  because  it  affects  Nettie  as 
well  as  myself.  It  seemed  as  if  I  had  held  back  on  your 
account  and  the  men's  as  long  as  was  possible — and  this 
morning  I  was  fighting  other  people's  battles  as  well  as  my 
own.  Most  of  the  bosses  in  the  works  have  been  angry 
at  the  promotion  of  such  men  as  Endy  to  high  positions. 
Of  course,  he  knows  his  business  thoroughly,  but  he  doesn't 
know  how  to  treat  a  man;  and  it  was  for  the  purpose  of 
breaking  our  manhood  so  as  to  make  it  easier  for  such  as 
he  to  handle  us — that's  what  they  call  it,  just  as  if  we 
were  machines, — as  much  as  for  the  reasons  they  gave 
the  Press  that  the  order  to  number  the  men  was  issued; — 
at  least  that's  what  we  believe. 

"Well,  we  saw  that  you  didn't  like  the  order  and  made 
it  as  easy  as  you  could  for  us,  and  the  same  way  with 
Laird  whose  place  Endy  has  taken — you  two  would  treat 
us  like  men,  even  if  we  were  numbered  like  convicts.  So, 
as  wages  were  advanced  all  along  the  line  before  the  last 
election  we  decided  to  do  nothing  for  the  present.  But 
this  morning,  when  I  entered  the  office,  I  heard  Endy's 
voice  and  paused  involuntarily  as  he  continued  what  he 
was  saying  to  the  Superintendent.  His  back  was  turned 
to  me  and  as  his  chief  saw  me  and  made  no  effort  to  stop 
him  I  heard  him  say :  'Yes,  Sir !  MacDonald  must  be 
removed.  Black  is  a  young  man  and  can  take  his  place, 
and  he  will  enforce  this  order  which  MacDonald  is  evad- 
ing.' So,"  continued  Arndt  without  looking  up — for  he 
did  not  wish  to  see  the  face  of  Angus, — "So,  I  knew  the 
fight  was  on,  and  I  determined  to  deliberately  deliver  the 
first  blow;  for  I  felt  certain  yesterday — as  soon  as  I  heard 
that  Endy  was  to  be  in  our  department — that  some  of  us 
would  be  on  the  black-list,  soon." 

He  hesitated  for  a  moment  waiting  for  some  remark 
from  the  old  man,  but  still  did  not  look  across  the  table; 
and  as  Angus  was  apparently  wanting  more  time  to  collect 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 


21 


himself,  Arndt  continued,  saying,  "He  has  never  forgiven 
you  for  insisting  that  part  of  learning  the  trade  was  wiping 
dirty  engines— and  he  will  never  forgive  me  for  kicking 
every  time  he  was  let  off  of  a  nastv  job.  And,  although 
this  is  the  outcome  of  it,  I  want  to  tell  you  that  I'm  proud 
of  you  every  time  I  think  of  the  days  that  Endy  had  to 
walk  the  streets  of  this  old  town  just  as  black  and  dirtv  as 
any  o  us  And"-laughingly-"I  am  somewhat  proud  of 
myself  when  I  think  of  the  useless  kicking  I  did  everv 
time  he  and  such  as  he  got  promoted  out  of  their  turn 

1  was  late  tonight  because  of  attendance  at  a  called 
meeting  of  the  Union.  I  can't  tell  even  you  what  we 
decided  upon,— that's  a  secret;  but  we—" 

The  words  died  out  of  the  young  man's  mouth.  He 
I  Srff.8  °n  without  looking  at  his  companion 
who  had  laid  his  pipe  on  the  table  and  shaded  his  eVes 
with  his  hand  when  he  heard  Endv's  words  repeated.  Now 
the  hand  fell  suddenly  to  his  side;  and  the  look  on  the  face 
of  Angus  MacDonald  told  Arndt  that  the  C.  I.  and  S  Co 
would  never  discharge  the  man  who  for  five  and  thirtv 
years  had  faithfully  served  them  and  their  predecessors 


CHAPTER  III. 

"The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strained." 

— Shakespeare. 

This  same  Tuesday  night,  after  Robert  Endy's  return 
from  the  neighboring  city  of  Clyde — where  he  had  been 
listening  to  one  of  the  finest  operas  this  country  has  ever 
heard, — he  came  home  early.  That  is  to  say,  as  soon  as 
the  performance  was  over,  for  the  music  to  which  he  had 
been  listening  was  tunefully  ringing  in  his  ears  and  pulsing 
through  every  vein  in  his  body,  and  he  did  not  care  to 
talk  to  anyone. 

Music  was  the  tender  spot  in  this  man's  character.  He 
had  a  spllendid  voice,  and  could  also  have  been  a  brilliant 
performer  on  the  piano,  but  he  had  now  given  all  that  up; 
for,  as  he  said,  "A  business  man  has  no  time  for  it!"  He 
once  replied  to  an  invitation  to  attend  a  grand  concert, 
"No  thank  you.  I  have  to  discharge  and  blacklist  several 
men — tomorrow,  and  I  must  be  as  hard  as  nails  for  the 
job."  Setting  his  jaw  firmly  he  continued  as  if  to  himself, 
"No  music  for  me,  tonight;  for  they  have  got  to  go!" 
However,  that  was  in  earlier  days. 

As  he  opened  the  door  to  his  father's  house  (where  he 
had  rooms  which  he  usually  occupied  when  not  in  his  apart- 
ments in  the  city)  he  made  a  picture  such  as  any  parent's 
heart  would  have  responded  to.  Tall,  athletic, — decidedly 
good  looking — with  no  sign  of  manual  labor  about  him  in 
any  curve  of  his  well-fed  body,  dressed  in  full  evening  suit, 
with  a  smile  that  brightened  his  face  as  he  hummed  a  part 
of  the  opera  which  had  particularly  pleased  him — even 
Arndt  would  have  enjoyed  the  picture  (though  he  might 
afterwards  have  remembered  it  with  bitterness  as  only  a 
drop  more  of  gall  added  to  the  day's  cup  which  this  man 
had  poured  out  for  him  and  his  friends). 

As  he  entered  the  hall  the  old  servant  said,  "Mr.  Rob- 
ert, Sir,  your  father  left  word  that  he  would  be  in  the 
library  and  wanted  to  see  you  whenever  vou  returned." 

22 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  23 

"Why,  Rollins,"  said  he,  "there  is  surely  some  mistake 
— my  father  is  certainly  in  bed  and  asleep;  it  is  long  past 
midnight  now." 

But  Rollins  replied  positively,  "Those  were  my  orders, 
Sir;  and  your  father  was  wide  awake  in  the  library  not  so 
long  ago,  for  he  called  me  in  and  cautioned  me  to  not 
forget  the  message." 

"Oh,"  said  Robert — under  his  breath — "if  it  must  be, 
it  must  be;  though  I  suspect,"  he  continued  as  he  walked 
slowly  along  the  beautiful  hall  towards  the  library,  "it 
isn't  going  to  be  pleasant  for  either  of  us." 

"Well,  Father,"  .said  he  as  he  entered  the  room  whose 
walls,  as  high  as  a  man  could  reach,  were  covered  with 
cases  of  black  walnut  whose  shelves  were  filled  with  books 
holding  the  accumulated  wit  and  wisdom  of  the  ages, — 
"Well,  Father?"  as  the  older  man  looked  up  quickly, 
"What  is  it?" 

"Back,  eh!  Robert?"  said  his  father,  "Yes,  it  is  rather 
late  for  a  talk;  but  I  heard  that  you  had  some  trouble  at 
the  works  today,  and  I  wanted  to  hear  your  version  of  it." 

"Certainly,  Sir,"  said  his  son,  "but  I  expect  that  all  you 
have  heard  is  true.  Charles  Arndt  was  discharged  for 
insubordination,  and  the  retirement  of  Angus  MacDonald, 
and  others,  was  decided  upon." 

His  father  said,  "You  certainly  have  a  way  of  present- 
ing things  baldly, — if  that  is  a  merit.  It  was  not  so  consid- 
ered in  my  time." 

"No?"  said  his  son;  "but  that  time  rs  past — never  to 
return.  This  is  the  day  of  young  men  and  business  meth- 
ods. This  big  corporation  can't  be  run  on  the  same  sched- 
ule as  the  little  company  from  which  it  sprang.  Arndt 
wanted  me  to  treat  him  as  if  he  were  still  my  companion 
and  friend.  I've  outgrown  all  that, — long  years  ago;  and 
even  if  I  hadn't,  still,  every  man  under  me  must  obey  every 
rule  of  the  company." 

"What  has  MacDonald  done?"  interjected  his  father. 

"As  for  MacDonald,  he  has  served  the  company  faith- 
fully; but  he  is  very  well  off,  I  am  informed,  and  is  able 
to  retire.  Besides,  he  is  getting  on  in  life,  and  there  are 
plenty  of  young  men — with  good  ideas  in  their  heads — 
who  have  had  special  training  at  just  such  work  as  he  is 


24  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

doing;  and  Black,  who  will  get  his  place,  is  the  very  fellow 
for  it: — young,  energetic,  with  a  wife  and  baby  (and  so, 
not  liable  to  go  on  a  strike — if  he  can  help  it),  he  is  just 
the  man;  and  besides,  I  can  get  Black  to  do  exactly  what 
I  want  done  without  any  words  wasted,  while  MacDonald 
would  never  forget  that  I  learned  the  trade  under  him, 
and  he  would  be  apt  to  answer  back  or  want  to  argue 
about  it,  at  best." 

Here  his  father  broke  in — "Oh,  yes!  I  expect  you  could 
go  on  all  night  giving  me  very  good  reasons  for  what  you 
have  done  or  are  determined  to  do.  You  are  my  own 
son;  but  where  you  got  the  merciless  disposition  you  show 
these  days  passes  my  comprehension, — certainly,  certainly 
not  from  your  sainted  mother!  I  am  not  blind  to  your 
faults — even  though  you  are  her  child.  You  are  a  hard 
man.  Under  the  head  of  'Good  of  the  Company'  I  fear 
that  you  are  trying  to  get  a  little  private  revenge  against 
the  man  who  has  been  the  life-long  friend  of  your  father — 
simply  because  he  insisted  upon  your  learning  your  trade 
thoroughly." 

Here  his  son  interrupted  with  the  first  sign  of  impa- 
tience he  had  shown.  "I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir,"  said  he, 
"but  I  would  like  you  to  do  me  justice.  I  do  not  deny 
being  a  hard  man.  I  am  the  result  of  conditions  which  I 
did  nothing  to  bring  about.  I  would  willingly  have  busi- 
ness conducted  as  in  your  time  when  courtesies  were 
extended  even  between  rival  houses,  and  when  thought 
was  taken  for  the  welfare  of  the  employees  and,  in  isolated 
instances,  for  their  welfare  as  human  beings.  But  I  have 
kept  my  eyes  wide  open,  and  I  see — the  world  over — 
that  the  only  stepping  stone  to  success  in  the  future  is 
success  in  the  present.  Men  like  Laird  and  MacDonald 
who  take  thought  for  the  personal  wellbeing  of  their  sub- 
ordinates are  very  popular  with  the  workingmen;  but  they 
have  to  give  place  to  men  like  myself  and  Black  who  will 
discharge  a  man  whenever  he  violates  a  rule  of  the  com- 
pany, or  whenever  his  work  does  not  come  up  to  require- 
ment— no  matter  what  the  cause  may  be.  Of  course,  it's 
bitterly  hard  for  them  to  fail  in  life — but  it's  their  failure 
or  mine:  and  I  am  going  to  succeed,  even  if  I  have  to  do 
it  by  following  strictly  business  principles  and  methods. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  25 

Oh,  of  course!  There  are  firms  that  employ  women — 
and  who  deal  directly  with  the  public — who  take  some 
care  of  their  employees.  I've  no  objection  whatever  to 
that.  It's  for  their  interest  to  have  them  in  the  best  pos- 
sible physical  condition,  and  it  is  good  business--if  it 
pays — and  a  cheap  advertisement,  anyhow:  and  they  find 
that  it  yields  cash  returns  or  they  would  not  do  it.  But 
I  am  handling  men.  The  public  does  not  know  any  more 
than  we  wish  them  to  about  what  goes  on  in  our  mills. 
And  as  for  Arndt — " 

"Yes!"  broke  in  his  father,  "as  for  Arndt!  I  know 
something  about  him,  personally,  and  he  is  a  thoroughly 
able  man  in  his  department — and  a  friend  of  MacDonald's ; 
and  all  I  can  say  is  that  I  am  sorry  for  him  if  he  has  fallen 
under  your  displeasure;  for  I  think  you  are  a  very  hard 
man." 

"Well,  I'm  no  harder  than  business  makes  one," 
retorted  his  son. 

His  father  stopped  him,  saying,  "I  made  my  money 
honestly,  without  becoming  hard." 

"Yes,"  his  son  replied,  "but  the  foundation  was  laid 
before  you  were  born  by  my  Grandfather's  purchasing 
land  for  a  mere  song,  and  you  had  a  good  start  on  your 
own  account  before  I  was  ten  years  old — when  the  com- 
petition was  nothing  to  what  it  is  today, — and  I  ask  you 
to  remember  those  facts. 

"One  who  has  not  made  his  mark  before  he  is  forty  is 
doomed,  in  these  times.  It  is  true,  as  you  say,  that  you 
are  rich  enough  for  both  of  us;  but  that  is  not  the  thing. 
Money  is  only  a  means  to  an  end — today.  What  we  want 
is  power!  What  we  are  striving  for  is  to  excel.  Now, 
you  made  your  life  a  success  in  your  own  way  and  among 
your  own  contemporaries.  To  live  on  your  success,  would 
be  to  make  my  life  a  failure.  I  want  my  own  success, — 
and  by  the  Eternal,  I  am  going  to  have  it!  Mercy  isn't 
known  in  business  today;  and  the  man  who  tries  to  use 
it  will  simply  go  down.  I  am  sorry  to  see  any  old,  faith- 
ful employee  have  to  lose  his  place,  and  if  the  Company 
will  pension  off  every  one  of  these  old  men  who  are  stand- 
ing in  the  road  of  my  success — instead  of  simply  dropping 
them — why,  I've  not  a  word  to  say, — so  long  as  I  don't 


26  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

hold  much  of  the  Company's  stock.  If  I  did,"  he  said 
lightly,  "that  would  be  another  matter." 

"I  see!"  said  his  father,  "  'a  candid  confession' — and  so 
forth." 

"Why,  certainly,  Sir,"  said  Robert,  "and  further,  I  will 
confess  that  I'm  not  as  sorry  to  see  MacDonald  go  as  I 
will  be  to  compel  some  of  the  others  to  retire.  You  think 
that  I  hold  malice  towards  him  because  of  the  nasty  work 
he  made  me  do;  but,  again,  I  say  you  do  me  injustice.  It 
wasn't  the  drudgery  or  the  dirty  work.  I  never  shirked 
either,  when  I  could  learn  anything  by  it;  but  MacDonald, 
because  he  was  your  friend,  was  not  just  to  me  for  fear  of 
appearing  to  favor  my  father's  son.  I  lost  time — one 
whole  year — under  him  that  is  gone  forever  out  of  my 
life, — and  I  neither  forget  nor  forgive  such  things. 

"That  one  year  may  make  the  difference  between  suc- 
cess and  failure.  Who  knows?  Some  day  I  may  want  to 
be  President;  and  I've  known  more  than  one  man  to  fail 
because  he  came  on  the  scene  one  year  too  late. 

"Of  course,  I  feel  sorry  for  the  other  boys  who  were 
apprentices  at  the  same  time  and  who,  today,  are  only 
skilled  machinists  or  under-bosses;  but  it  would  not  be 
believed  if  it  was  told  them,  and,  anyway,  we've  got  to 
have  privates  in  the  army  of  labor  as  well  as  in  the  regular 
army,  and  we've  found  that  army  methods  of  treating  the 
men  under  one  are  the  only  methods  that  will  keep  them 
from  ultimately  getting  the  upper  hand: — so  we  have 
adopted  those  methods." 

"And  yet  you  wonder  when  Arndt  or  any  of  the  others 
rebel!"  interjected  his  father. 

"Wonder?  Not  I,"  said  his  son.  "I  wouldn't  stand 
what  they  have  to — not  for  a  minute!  And  as  for  Arndt, 
I  am  glad  that  he  gave  me  a  chance  at  him  so  promptly. 
Arndt  is  a  leader  in  the  Union,  and  I  am  not  going  to  be 
able  to  get  along  with  any  of  them.  No,  Sir,  I  am  not 
going  to  blacklist  him,  although  you  and  he,  I  think, 
expect  me  to  do  so.  But  I'm  not  certain  that  he  did  not 
force  my  hand  today  in  order  to  not  obey  a  single  com- 
mand of  mine.  Anyhow,  I  am  simply  going  to  weed  out 
of  my  department  every  man  who  won't,  or  can't  do  the 
best  possible  work  for  the  Company  (and  incidentally  for 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  27 

me);  for  any  man  who  has  a  sickly  wife,  or  a  profligate 
son,  or  a  store  bill  hanging  over  him,  isn't  going  to  be 
able  to  put  his  whole  mind  on  his  work  like  one  who  is 
without  these  incumbrances, — and  my  department  must 
show  such  returns  in  the  next  six  months  that  the  Super- 
intendent shall  step  down, — or  on, — and  I  am  going  to 
step  up.  Yes,  Sir,  I've  allowed  six  months  for  that;  and 
I  have  the  remainder  of  the  career  approximately  mapped 
out.  What  is  to  become  of  those  whom  I  displace,  you 
ask?    I  really  cannot  tell  you,  Sir." 

"Well,"  said  his  father,  "that  sounds  very  nice  for  Rob- 
ert Endy,  Jr.;  but  let  me  ask  you  one  question:  Is  that 
the  road  to  success  in  business  today?" 

"It  is  the  only  one  I  have  ever  heard  about,"  said  his 
son.  "I've  studied  the  lives  of  successful  business  men  of 
this  and  past  times ;  and  while  they  give  tremendous  sums 
to  the  public  for  various  reasons  (but  chiefly  to  ease  their 
consciences,  I  think, — and  I  may  do  the  same  some  day) 
after  they  have  succeeded,  yet  the  methods  they  took  to 
get  the  money  were  identical  with  those  I  propose  to 
use.  They  simply  employed  the  labor  and  skill  of  other 
men  and  paid  them  only  a  moiety  of  what  it  was  actually 
worth  to  them  and  to  the  world.  In  other  words,  they 
were  'Masters  of  Men,'  and  I  intend  to  be  one  also.  I  do 
not  intend  to  be  unnecessarily  unjust  or  cruel,  but  I  do 
not  intend  to  fail  on  account  of  any  softness  at  the  wrong 
time.    I  have  but  one  life  to  live, — " 

"How  about  the  next  one?"  said  his  father,  interrupting 
him  sternly. 

"Now,  Sir,"  said  Robert,  "I'll  just  tell  you  what  I  heard 
a  friend  of  mine — who  is  already  a  very  successful  business 
man — say.  He  was  asked  to  subscribe  to  the  salary  of  a 
preacher  whom  I  know  that  he  never  goes  to  hear — and 
whom  he  personally  dislikes, — and  I  was  surprised  to  see 
the  largeness  of  his  subscription.  When  I  asked  him  about 
it  he  said,  'Why,  man,  have  you  never  thought  of  that? 
Certainly,  I  subscribe  to  the  salary  of  every  one  they  give 
me  a  chance  at.  A  good  dose  of  cash  shuts  the  mouth  of 
the  Pulpit  as  well  as  of  the  Press ;  and  we  have  got  to  keep 
the  poor  and  middle  classes  believing  in  a  Bible  that  tells 
them  to  remain  in  subjection  to  the  powers  that  be,  and 


28  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

in  a  hell  and  a  devil  in  the  future,  or  they  will  make  both 
articles  for  us  on  short  notice  in  the  present.  Remember 
the  Reign  of  Terror  in  France.'  And  so,  it  is  good  busi- 
ness to  pay  largely  for  the  police  power  of  the  church. 
Those  are  business  methods  and  reasons,  Sir." 

"Then,"  said  the  old  man,  "thank  God  that  I  am  out 
of  what  you  designate  Business.  I  have  another  name  for 
it.  I  am  going  to  call  at  MacDonald's  in  the  morning.  I 
had  wondered  why  he  did  not  come  to  see  me  last  week, 
but  I  hear  that  he  has  not  been  well  enough  to  be  at  the 
works  these  last  few  days.  I  am  going  to  offer  him  a  job 
of  some  kind  (though  what  it  will  be  I  cannot  now  imag- 
ine, for  he  is  infatuated  with  his  position  and  the  works) 
to  keep  him  from  eating  his  heart  out  at  this  blow.  It  is 
not  money  he  needs.  Grant  me  this  much  that  you  will 
defer  action  on  his  case  for  two  days." 

"Oh,"  said  Robert,  "that  is  easily  done.  I've  plenty  of 
others  to  start  on.  And  the  Superintendent  has  given  me 
a  free  hand.  All  he  asks  of  me  is  results  in  finished  work. 
That  secures  his  promotion." 

"Well,  Sir,"  said  his  father,  "I've  been  afraid,  for  some 
time,  that  your  environment  was  making  you  a  selfish, 
hard  man;  and  I  only  hope  that  you  will  receive  in  the 
day  you  ask  for  mercy,  a  different  quality  than  you  are 
dealing  out  today." 

"I'm  no  worse  than  other  successful  men,"  said  Rob- 
ert. "I'm  a  product  of  my  time;  and  as  for  Mercy,  I'll  not 
ask  for  any.  There's  no  such  thing  in  the  universe.  Self, 
in  one  form  or  other,  rules  the  world;  and  even  the  God 
most  men  worship  is  said  to  condemn  or  save  his  creatures 
solely  for  His  own  glory.  Why  do  you  expect  me  to  be 
better  than  He?  You  know,  as  well  as  I  do,  that  those 
who  follow  the  teachings  which  make  men  renounce 
wealth  and  all  those  things  the  world  covets  are  despised 
and  looked  down  upon  and  considered  failures, — as  much 
now  as  when  Jesus  Christ  was  alive.  I  am  no  hypocrite:  I 
consider  the  Socialist  with  his  insane  and  unworkable  doc- 
trine of  an  equality  of  opportunity  and  plenty  for  all, 
simply  a  fool  for  his  pains;  and  the  rest  of  the  world  is 
divided  into  but  two  classes;  those  who  are  rich  and 
those  who  want  to  be.     I  am  of  the  first  class,  but  differ 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  29 

forever  from  most  of  them  in  that  I  make  no  pretense  to 
be  shaping  my  conduct  by  the  pattern  of  Christianity.  I 
say  that  no  rich  man,  to  my  knowledge,  is  one  step  beyond 
the  Jehovaic  doctrines  of  an  eye  for  an  eye — nor,  indeed, 
are  they  up  to  them." 

His  father  looked  steadily  at  him  for  several  minutes, 
and  then  said,  "I  am  truly  glad  to  be  able  to  agree  with 
you  on  at  least  that  latter  point;  and  I  mean  it  when  I 
say  that  I  am  thankful  to  hear  such  a  candid  opinion  on 
my  own  life,— though  I  am  aware  that  you  did  not  mean 
to  be  personal.  It  is  true— too  true— that  we  live  unjus- 
tifiably for  self.  I  have  long  been  aware  that  my  own  life 
was  not  beyond  reproach — " 

But  his  son  would  listen  to  no  more  and  exclaimed, 
"Do  me  justice,  Sir,  do  me  justice!     I  was  speaking  in 
general  terms;  and  certainly  the  only  reproach  that  could 
be  placed  on  you  is  that  you  continue  to  share  in  the 
profits  of  the  very  corporations  whose  methods   you  con- 
demn—and there,  any  one  who  knows  you  will  be  aware 
that,  living  as  retired  as  you  do,  you  are  probably  ignorant 
of  what  is  being  done  in  the  world  today." 
_      "Such  ignorance  is  culpable!"  said  his  father,  emphat- 
ically, "for  no  man  has  any  right  to  live  in  the  past  as  I 
have  done— even  though  it  was  for  a  praiseworthy  object." 
His  son  looked  inquiringly  at  him ;  but,  as  he  received 
no  encouragement,  he  simply  asked,  "The  two  days  will 
give  you  time  enough  to  soften  the  blow  to  MacDonald?" 
"Yes,"  said  his  father. 
But  the  blozo  had  fallen. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

''Till  we  meet  again." 


-Old  song. 


The  picture  presented  in  that  quiet  roam  in  the  house 
on  the  river  road  in  the  town  of  Steelton,  at  the  moment 
when  Charles  Arndt  looked  past  the  lamp  which  stood 
on  the  table  between  him  and  the  body  of  Angus  Mac- 
Donald,  was  one  which  he  would  never  have  forgotten; 
but  he  saw  nothing  except  the  face  of  that  dead  man. 

And  thus  he  sat  as  if  paralyzed — without  making  the 
slightest  sound  or  motion — minute  after  minute,  which  the 
tall  clock  in  the  corner  ticked  out  second  by  second.  He 
afterwards  remembered  that  he  had  a  knowledge  of  the 
ticking  of  the  clock,  and,  that,  mechanically  he  had  counted 
as  he  sat  there  gazing  across  the  table  as  if  waiting  for 
Angus  to  speak. 

"Three  hundred!"  he  involuntarily  said,  aloud;  and  the 
sound  of  his  own  voice  as  it  broke  the  silence  caused  him 
to  start  to  his  feet  with  the  exclamation,  "And  Nettie  must 
be  told!  Great  God:  It  was  my  hand  that  struck  the 
blow !    Oh,  Angus,  Angus,  why  didn't  you  tell  me." 

At  this  moment  the  doorbell  rang,  and  Arndt  hastened 
through  the  doorway  by  which  Nettie  had  so  recently 
passed  and  noiselessly  crossed  the  few  feet  which  lay 
between  it  and  the  front  door. 

This  he  quickly  opened  (as  it  was  not  locked  for  the 
night,  owing  to  his  presence  in  the  house),  and  it  seemed 
so  natural  that  it  should  be  Dr.  Kenedy  who  stood  there 
that  he  only  said  "In  there"  and  pointed  to  the  open  door 
through  which  the  lamplight  was  streaming  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  hallway. 

The  lamp  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  had  gone  out;  so 
neither  the  doctor  nor  he  saw  Nettie  as  she  came  down 
the  stairs — mechanically  buttoning  her  dress  at  the  throat 
as  she  descended. 

30 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  31 

Arndt,  softly,  shut  and  fastened  the  front  door  and  fol- 
lowed the  physician  so  closely  that  the  two  men  entered 
the  room  at  nearly  the  same  moment;  and  as  the  doctor 
saw  the  face  of  the  man  who  sat  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  table — with,  the  full  light  of  the  lamp  upon  him — he 
exclaimed,  "Too  late — too  late!  when  did  it  happen?" 

Then  Arndt  told  the  story  as  they  busied  themselves  in 
getting  the  body  on  the  lounge  and  tried  restoratives. 

Neither  of  the  men  saw  the  figure  of  the  silent  woman 
in  the  hallway  who  listened  to  every  word  and  watched 
every  motion — but  who  never  moved  a  step  after  she 
caught  sight  of  her  father's  face. 

"Well,"  said  Kenedy  at  last,  "I'm  awful  sorry  you 
told  him  so  suddenly.  He  might  have  survived  the  losing 
of  his  position  at  the  works — for  many  years — had  the 
news  been  broken  to  him  softly.  It's  partly  my  fault, 
however.  I  ought  not  to  have  consented  to  let  him  keep 
his  condition  secret;  but  he  said  that  you  and  others 
relieved  him  at  the  shop  of  all  heavy  work,  and  that  all  he 
had  to  do  was  oversee; — and  he  insisted  that  idleness 
would  kill  him,  and  that  he  could  do  that  much  as  well  as 
any  man,  for  many  years  to  come, — provided  the  Company 
didn't  find  out  how  it  was  with  him.  'For,'  said  he,  'they 
don't  want  men  around  who  are  liable  to  make  any  one 
lose  a  minute.'  And  so,  I  consented — after  cautioning  him 
about  excitement;  and  I  likewise  told  Nettie  that  her  father 
must  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible. 

"I  was  passing  the  house,  and  as  I  had  heard  a  rumor 
that  he  would  be  discharged  I  thought — when  I  saw  tha 
light — that  I  would  prepare  him  as  best  I  could.  But  th* 
is  all  we  can  ever  do  for  him.  Now,  we  must  think  of 
Nettie." 

As  the  girl  heard  her  name  the  first  time  it  was  men- 
tioned she  staggered  like  one  who  is  suddenly  awakened 
while  walking  in  her  sleep,  and  while  the  doctor  was  still 
speaking  she  rocked  to  and  fro  upon  her  feet  as  if  she 
would  surely  fall— but  this  the  men  within  the  room  could 
not  see.  Upon  his  second  utterance  of  her  name  she 
regained  control  of  herself;  and  as  they  straightened  them- 
selves they  both  involuntarily  looked  towards  the  doorway 


32  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

and  saw  her  as  the  first  step  brought  her  within  the  rays 
of  light  of  the  sitting  room  lamp. 

Dr.  Kenedy  has  seen  many  strange  sights  and  may  for- 
get the  one  which  met  his  eyes;  but  Charles  Arndt  never 
will. 

Here  was  no  "Little  Girl"  as  Arndt  lovingly  called  as 
he  sprang  with  outstretched  arms  towards  her ! 

She  motioned  him  to  stop. 

There  stood  before  them  a  woman,  who  appeared  to 
have  grown  at  least  six  inches  since  Arndt  saw  her  last. 
Her  face  was  absolutely  white,  and  Arndt — who  had  a 
passion  for  watching  and  comparing  shades  of  color — 
found  himself  gazing  at  that  whiteness  and  wondering 
when  a  tinge  of  red  would  break  the  terrible  resemblance 
to  a  mask. 

Her  eyes  had  a  glitter  in  them  which  made  their  blue- 
ness  black;  and  her  face  showed  not  one  sign  of  the  sor- 
row or  mourning  which  might  assuredly  have  been  looked 
for  there;  a  hatred  intense  and  deadly  such  as  none  could 
wish  to  see  if  the  hatred  were  for  him  or  one  he  loved, 
was  stamped  on  every  beautiful  feature,  and  her  voice — ■ 
low  and  clear — had  a  note  in  it  which  neither  man  could 
recognize  as  hers,  as  she  rejected  the  doctor's  proffered 
chair  and  said,  "Thank  you,  Doctor,  for  what  you  have 
already  done.  I  wish  you  to  remain  a  few  moments  before 
you  go  to  attend  to  the  necessary  arrangements  for  me. 
Won't  you  be  seated?" 

But  neither  man  made  a  motion.  The  Doctor  was 
looking  at  her  professionally,  expecting  a  collapse  at  any 
moment.     Arndt  was  simply  waiting. 

And  so  they  stood  there  for  a  little  while  with  that  dead 
body  in  the  background,  covered  only  by  the  shadow  of 
Nettie's  form  as  she  stood  and  looked  at  it  and  then 
finally  moved  over  towards  it. 

Then  the  words  of  Poe, 

"And  my  soul   from  out  that  shadow- 
Shall  be  lifted — Nevermore," 

rang  through  the  brain  of  her  lover,  suddenly,  as  he  saw 
the  blackness  spread  until  it  covered  the  whole  side  of  the 
room  as  she  paused  beside  the  table — and,  reaching  across, 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  33 

—took  up  her  father's  pipe,  kissed  it,  and  then  quickly 
placing-  it  upon  the  glowing  coals  of  the  fire  quietly  closed 
the  door  of  the  stove  and  turned  away. 

Towards  her  father's  body  she  made  no  movement 
after  that,  but  broke  the  silence  by  the  remark,  "I  heard 
every  word  that  you  said,  Gentlemen." 

"Well,"  said  Kenedy,  "I  think  you  are  holding  some 
one  responsible  for  his  death;  and  I  have  only  to  say  that 
he  has  been  liable — for  several  years — to  die  just  this  way, 
and — " 

"That  may  be  true,"  interrupted  the  girl,  "but  I  heard 
you  say  that  he  might  have  lived  for  years  if  he  could 
have  gone  on  with  his  work  without  any  sudden  shock. 
There  is  but  one  man  responsible  for  this  night's  work — 
and  he  may  never  suffer  for  it.  But  there  are  others  who 
will  suffer:  I  for  one,  and,"  looking  straight  at  Arndt, 
"you,  for  the  other,  Charlie." 

She  waited  an  instant  as  if  for  him  to  speak;  but  he 
never  even  moved  his  lips.  Then  the  doctor  said,  sooth- 
ingly, "You  are  excited  now,  Nettie,  and  will  think  differ- 
ently about  all  this  tomorrow." 

But  Arndt  motioned  him  to  be  quiet — he  knew  the  girl 
and  was  impatient  at  the  delay. 

"I  say  again,"  said  Nettie,  "that  there  is  one  man  guilty 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  all  just  men  of  deliberate  murder, 
and  not  in  this  case  only;  and  his  name  is  Robert  Endy, 
Junior.  He  is  using  a  terrible  system  to  further  his  ambi- 
tion. He,  and  men  like  him,  are  making  the  system  daily 
and  hourly  more  and  more  intolerable.  You,"  turning  to 
Arndt,  "are  a  victim,  even  as  I;  and  the  reason  the  mur- 
derous system  exists  today  is  that  there  has  not  been 
found  one  man  unselfish  enough  to  give  up  his  own  pleas- 
ure and  happiness  and  devote  his  life  to  the  slaying  of  the 
monster.  Such  men  don't  seem  to  be  born  these  days. 
But.  maybe,  I  can  find  a  man  to  redress  my  wrongs,  even 
if  he  will  not  resent  those  done  to  himself.  '  I  tell  you  now 
that  until  the  life  of  Robert  Endy  is  made  a  failure,  abso- 
lute and  complete,  I  will  never  be  your  wife:  So  help  me 
God!  Then  after  an  instant's  pause,  terrible,  intense:  "I 
call  on  God's  Recording  Angel  to  register  my  vow." 

As  she  stopped,  Arndt  stepped  forward  and  cried,— 


34  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"Not  that,  Nettie,  not  that!"  but  quickly  recovering  him- 
self he  said — as  he  straightened  as  one  does  when  saluting 
a  superior,  "I  accept  your  conditions,  dear;  only,  remember 
that  I  am  yours  and  you  are  mine — though  our  hands  may 
never  meet." 

Here  Kenedy  broke  in:  "You  are  beside  yourselves. 
This  is  simply  nonsense!  You  two  are  out  of  your  heads 
tonight." 

"Oh,"  said  Nettie,  quietly,  "perhaps  so;  but  it  is  with 
trouble.  I  suppose  the  rich  think  that  all  who  do  not  like 
the  results  of  their  methods,  assuredly  are  crazy.  I  only 
hope  they  also  think  that  we  have  forgotten  our  injuries 
(because,  for  the  present,  we  do  nothing).  And  now,  Doc- 
tor," she  concluded,  "will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  attend  to 
the  other  matters  for  us.  Mr.  Arndt  will  stay  with  me 
here  until  you  can  bring  your  wife.  I  am  certain  that  she 
will  come." 

So  those  two  waited  in  the  presence  of  that  dead  man 
who  had  been  as  a  father  for  many  years  to  the  man — and 
father,  brother  and  sister  to  the  girl  since  the  days  of  early 
childhood;  and  of  the  thoughts  that  passed  through  their 
minds  as  they  stood  hand  in  hand  and  looked  at  that  peace- 
ful face,  none  should  speak — for  they  are  too  tender  for 
words. 

But,  as  they  turned  away  and  seated  themselves  they 
looked  into  each  other's  eyes,  and  they  thought  other 
thoughts;  of  thwarted  hopes,  and  of  retribution — and  of  its 
methods; — and  of  those  thoughts  neither  should  any  be 
told — else  might  Robert  Endy,  Jr.,  hear  of  them. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  doctor  and  his  wife,  as  they 
parted  at  the  outer  door  Arndt  said,  "I  will  see  you  often, 
dear;"  and  she  replied,  "Why,  of  course,  as  long  as  we 
are  in  reach  of  each  other." 

Then  he  said,  "That  system  has  slain  my  best  friend 
and  ruined  my  life's  happiness,  and  from  this  day  I  fight 
it,  openly  and  above  board  and  with  whatever  weapon 
comes  to  my  hand;  though  the  end  will,  for  us,  I  think, 
be  failure." 

There  was  no  tremor  in  her  handclasp.  Nettie  said, 
"The  system  may  be  too  strong  for  us;  but  I  think  that 
we  can,  very  certainly,  get  at  one  man." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  35 

But  Arndt  shook  his  head  as  he  replied,  "No!  I  think 
that  we  must  strike  him  through  the  system.  You,  nor  I, 
can  never  take  a  personal  revenge  in  any  other  way.  The 
man  is  the  result  of  the  system.  He  was  not  a  cruel  boy. 
I  think  that  he  will  even  be  truly  sorry  for  you." 

But  the  woman  cried  out  sharply:  "I  want  none  of  his 
sympathy!  Will  his  sympathy  undo  his  work?  Will  it 
restore  the  dead  to  life?  You,  with  your  Quixotic  ideas 
of  elevating  the  masses,  may  fight  a  system — as  you  have 
fought :  and  you  will  fail — as  you  have  failed.  Your  work- 
ingmen's  Unions  are  just  as  selfish  in  their  way  as  are  the 
rich  men's  methods:  it  is  all  for  self  or  a  class.  Show  me 
a  movement  that  insists  upon  equality  of  opportunity  and 
equality  of  remuneration  for  all,  and  you  by  means  of  it 
may  reach  these  murderers! 

"Let  me  tell  you!  Men  make  systems — and  such  men 
as  Robert  Endy  make  these  iniquitous  conditions.  A 
product  of  Evolution,  you  say?  So  are  rattlesnakes  and 
boa-constrictors.  We  kill  the  first  before  he  strikes.  Why 
shall  we  not  at  least  make  an  effort  to  kill  the  latter  when 
it  is  already  folded  about  us  and  we  feel  the  monster 
crushing  the  life  out  of  us?" 

Then  Arndt  said  soothingly,  "Hush,  child,  hush!  there 
are  too  many  people  who  are  thinking  that  way  already." 

But  the  woman  broke  in  again:  "I  wish  in  Heaven's 
name  that  there  were  millions  more,  hundreds  of  millions 
more,  of  them ;  then  we  might  succeed.  But,  failure  or  no 
failure,  I'm  in  the  fight  till  death." 

"And  I,"  said  Arndt.  "Good-bye,  my  love,  until  we 
meet  again.*' 


CHAPTER  V. 

"There  are  swift  hours  in  life,  strong,  rushing  hours, 
That  do  the  work  of  tempests  in  their  might." 

— Hemans. 

As  soon  as  the  door  closed  behind  Arndt,  Nettie,  on 
finding  herself  on  the  same  spot  where  she  had  stood 
during  that  terrible  half-hour  while  she  watched  the  men 
as  they  worked  to  restore  her  father,  suddenly  stopped, 
and  with  staring  eyes  wavered  to  and  fro  as  she  had  done 
before. 

This  time  there  was  only  the  body  of  her  father — lying 
as  if  asleep  on  the  lounge — to  meet  her  gaze;  and  the 
awful  reality  that  he  would  never  again  speak  in  loving 
tones,  swept  over  her. 

With  a  cry  which  rang  through  closed  doors  and  solid 
walls  she  said,  "Oh,  Daddy,  Daddy,  dear!"  and  would  have 
rushed  to  his  side;  but  took  only  one  step  before  uncon- 
sciousness seized  her. 

Dr.  Kenedy — who  was  waiting  in  the  shadow,  expect- 
ing this  very  result — caught  her  as  she  tottered,  *nd  then 
said  briskly,  "Now,  wife,  call  Arndt;"  and  l«^n  Mrs. 
Kenedy  stepped  quickly  to  the  door  and  opened  it — and 
Arndt,  who  had  heard  that  cry  not  only  with  his  ears  but 
in  every  fibre  of  his  being — as  he  paced  up  and  down 
before  the  house, — was  already  on  the  top  step  and  passed 
instantly  to  the  assistance  of  the  doctor. 

Between  them  the  unconscious  girl  was  quickly  placed 
upon  her  bed,  and  Arndt,  by  the  direction  of  the  physician, 
hastened  to  the  nearest  neighbor's  house  for  help. 

On  his  return  he  resumed  his  solitary  walk ;  up  and 
down  before  the  house.  Up  and  down  the  man  paced  step 
by  step  with  soldierly  tread,  and  his  thoughts  were  all  of 
the  walks  which  he  and  Angus  and  Nettie  had  taken  in  the 
summer  nights  which  were  past.  As  he  became  quieter  he 
took  in  the  fact  that  even  here,  at  a  distance  of  half  a 

36 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  37 

mile  from  the  works,  the  air  was  filled  with  the  smoke 
from  the  furnaces,  and  that  the  roar  and  crash  of  machin- 
e/^~~i°  ,     ,    Was  so  accustomed  that  he  hardly  noticed 

it  in  the  works  by  day— was  plainly  heard  in  the  stillness  of 
the  night  And  he  said,  bitterly,  "One  cannot  even  draw 
the  breath  of  life  without  having  it  poisoned  by  the  Octo- 
pus. I  beheve  that  the  smoke  nuisance  as  well  as  a  whole 
lot  of  other  evils  which  they  claim  are  inseparable  from 
modern  business  methods  might  be  prevented.  Business 
indeed!  It  is  the  anaconda  of  the  world  today  Where  is 
the  man  who  shall  be  able  to  loosen  those  folds  which  are 
crushing  the  life  out  of  every  one  of  us,  rich  as  well  as 
poor,  without  the  shedding  of  blood?  Oh!"  he  cried  aloud 
I  am  afraid,  I  m  afraid  that  the  work  cannot  be  done 
peaceably.  _  It  is  the  story  of  slavery  all  over  again— only 

If  i1"^  ?  1S  216  White  man  wh°  is  slave  to  a  demon 
called  Modern  Business  Methods.'  Any  man,  todav,  can 
see  that  the  slaves  could  have  been  purchased  outright 
and  set  free  at  a  tithe  of  the  cost  of  the  civil  war  and  sub- 
sequent entailed  expenses,  and  all  the  lost  lives  might  have 
been  saved  and  the  breaking  of  hearts  averted— to  say 
nothing  of  a  whole  generation  of  children  whose  existence 
has  been  permanently  overshadowed  bv  the  anxiety  and 
dread  which  was  the  daily  meat  and  drink  of  their  mothers 
during  those  terrible  days  before  the  children  saw  the 
light.    God  pity  those  children! 

"But  it  was  not  to  be  averted.  Nettie  is  right.  Then 
as  now  the  whole  trouble  was  the  selfishness  of  man' 
After  almost  two  thousand  years  of  professing  to  follow 
the  teachings  of  one  whose  whole  life  was  a  lesson  in 
unselfishness,  we  don't  seem  to  have  even  started  yet 
Not  one  of  us  Justice  cries  out  from  the  ground  per- 
petually, through  the  ages,  not  only  for  right  but  for  resti- 

!^nT;~ianf  T  ,:e1tribution-  Repayment  for  downtrodden 
manhood,  stunted  lives  and  crushed  loves  cannot  be  made 
any  more  than  for  hunger  and  thirst  and  insufficient  cloth- 
ing and  avoidable  sickness  and  premature  death.  But  shall 
we,  as  a  people  be  able  to  escape  retribution  for  having 
caused  these  things— this  time?" 

In  his  earnestness  he  had  been  speaking  aloud;  and  at 
this  moment  Dr.  Kenedy  touched  him  on  the  arm,  saying, 


38  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"I  cannot  tell  you.  No  man  can  answer  that  question. 
But,  come  in.     I  expected  to  find  you  out  here." 

And  so,  together,  they  entered  the  house  and  went 
into  the  sitting  room  where  the  body  of  Angus  MacDonald 
was  already  prepared  for  the  coffin.  "No:  not  in  here," 
said  the  doctor,  "this  room  is  too  cold  (for  the  fire  was  out 
and  the  window  raised). 

The  physician  passed  immediately  into  the  back  room; 
but  Arndt  paused  by  the  still  form,  and  without  lifting  the 
sheet  which  covered  the  face,  said,  "Good-bye,  old  friend, 
good-bye!  You  are  only  one  more  victim  of  the  selfish- 
ness of  man.  Good-bye,  good-bye!"  Then  he  followed 
the  doctor  who  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

"Well,  it  is  just  as  I  feared,"  said  Kenedy, — for  Arndt 
waited  for  him  to  speak, — "just  as  I  feared  when  I  first  saw 
her:  the  shock  and  the  strain  of  standing  in  the  hall  watch- 
ing us  and  overhearing  what  we  said,  all  that  time,  has 
been  too  much ;  and  the  collapse,  which  I  anticipated  has 
left  us  with  a  probable  case  of  brain  trouble,  at  the  least: 
and  no  one  knows  what,  at  the  end  of  that.  She  never 
seemed  to  take  in  her  personal  loss  until  she.  saw  his  body 
all  alone  in  the  room.  That  was  as  I  expected ;  but  my  one 
chance  was  that  she  would  break  down  and  cry.  Oh,  if 
she  had  only  cried!  but  it  turned  the  other  way;  and  now 
she  will  have  to  fight  it  out,  with  the  best  aid  I  can  give 
her.  Fortunately  for  us,  her  habit  of  taking  a  great  deal  of 
out-of-door  exercise  has  given  her  an  excellent  constitu- 
tion. My  wife  is  with  her  now,  and  also  one  of  the  neigh- 
bors, and  they  will  call  me  if  there  is  any  danger.  At 
present  they  are  giving  her  a  treatment  at  which  I  cannot 
assist,  and  I  must  wait  for  the  nurse  I  have  sent  to  the 
hospital  for;  and  while  we  are  waiting  I  want  to  talk  to 
you,  seriously.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  to  tell  you  that 
what  Nettie  said  recently  was  spoken  when  she  was  in  such 
a  condition  that  you  will  not  need  to  pay  any  attention  to 
it.  Moreover,  she  may  never  recall  one  word  of  it — even 
if  she  survives  this  attack." 

"Didn't  she  know  what  she  was  saying?"  asked'  Arndt. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  the  doctor,  "and  I  suppose  meant  it, 
at  the  time ;  but  she  may  never  recall  it." 

"Then,"  said  Arndt,  "I  will  remember  it,  and  will  also 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  39 

remind  her  of  it — and  if  she  wants  to  hold  me  to  my  prom- 
ise, I'm  going  to  keep  it." 

"Now,  Arndt,"  protested  Kenedy,  "you  are  going  to 
accomplish  nothing  except  the  unhappiness  of  two  people 
I  like,  if  you  don't  quit  this  foolishness  and  persuade  that 
girl  into  marrying  you  as  soon  as  I  can  get  her  well  again 
— if  ever  I  do." 

But  Arndt  interrupted:  "It's  because  every  man  says 
that  same  thing  that  nothing  has  been  done.  Don't  think 
that  I  expect  to  do  more  than  start  the  ball  rolling.  I  am 
not  the  man  to  make  a  leader  out  of:  I'm  too  sorry  for  the 
rich.  The  leader  of  the  workingmen  in  the  final  struggle 
is  not  going  to  be  sorry  for  the  rich — or,  at  least,  his  sor- 
row for  them  will  be  completely  buried  out  of  sight  under 
his  millionfold  greater  sorrow  for  the  poor  and  his  wrath 
at  the  injustice  practiced  through  the  ages  on  the  working 
class.  You  look  astonished !  Why,  of  course,  I  see  these 
things  plainly,  and,  of  course  I  am  sorry  for  the  rich. 
What  do  they  get  out  of  it  all?  Slavery  to  social  forms 
instead  of  to  work;  a  round  of  pleasure  which  has  ceased, 
except  for  the  novice  and  the  young,  to  be  enjoyable,  and 
just  as  hard  work  to  keep  from  dying  from  ennui  as  I 
have  to  perform  to  earn  my  daily  bread. 

"And  what  are  they  paying  for  all  this  ? — and  why  should 
they  pay  at  all?  Why,  because  the  mass  of  men  are  like 
children  and  believe  that  because  these  people  wear  smiling 
faces  they  are  happy  and  contented;  and  they  know  that 
after  all  arguments  are  ended,  they,  the  producers,  have 
not  received  a  just  share  of  the  rewards  of  toil.  And  the 
rich  are  paying,  daily,  in  the  growing  hatred  of  poor  men, 
women  and  children  for  the  rich  as  a  class;  and  when  the 
day  of  final  payment  comes — may  I  not  be  there  to  see  it!" 

Kenedy  went  to  the  door  and  listened  for  a  moment 
and  then  resumed  his  seat,  without  making  any  reply. 

Arndt  evidently  expected  none,  for  he  immediately 
continued:  "They,  mostly,  have  a  certainty  about  the 
arrival  of  daily  bread  and  are  not  dependent  on  the  good- 
will or  whim  of  an  employer  for  the  chance  to  earn  it — 
which  is  about  the  only  thing  I  envy  them.  I  have  always 
enjoyed  my  work.  I  delight  in  helping  to  create  things, 
and  for  me  the  idleness  of  the  rich  has  no  attraction.     I 


4o  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

can  only  wonder  at  their  willingness  to  let  life  pass  in  such 
a  way.  In  general  I  only  pity  them,  but  more  especially 
when  I  think  of  that  day  and  remember  the  old  saying, 
'Whom  the  Gods  would  destroy  they  first  make  mad.'  " 

"That's  true!"  said  the  doctor  emphatically;  "but  no 
man,  single-handed  and  poor,  can  accomplish  the  work 
you  have  set  out  to  do.  Don't  think,  for  a  moment,  that 
I  do  not  know,  as  well  as  you,  of  the  need  of  its  being 
done.  When  I  see,  at  the  houses  of  the  rich,  luxury  and 
pleasure  and  idleness  and,  even  in  the  best  of  them,  a  class 
feeling  which  causes  them  to  despise  a  poor  man — so  much 
of  the  time,  simply  because  he  is  poor,  and  therefore, 
according  to  their  standards,  a  failure — the  words  of  old 
MacKellar  ring  in  my  ears : 

'A  renegade  to  God  and  man  is  he 

Who  scorns  a  poor  man  in  his  poverty 

Or  on  his  brother  puts   his  supercilious  ban.' 

They  worship  success,  and  success  alone;  and  when  I  pass 
to  the  home  of  the  workingman,  whose  labor  has  produced 
this  wealth,  I  often  wonder  whether  Almighty  God  is  still 
running  this  world." 

"Yes,"  he  continued,  as  though  Arndt  had  asked  him 
a  question  aloud;  for  his  astonishment  was  plainly  written 
on  his  face;  "yes:  every  word  of  that  is  true.  I  know  that 
you  are  surprised;  and  you  will  be  surprised  again,  tomor- 
row, when  you  see  me  as  deferential  as  ever  to  the  rich. 
I  know  who  I  am  talking  to;  and  if,  in  the  future,  you 
need  me,  call  on  me.  It  may  be  that  a  sudden  call  to  the 
assistance  of  a  fellowman  will  awaken  in  me  the  manhood 
which  has  been  held  in  check  ever  since  the  first  day  I  had 
a  rich  patient  who  paid  well.  I  have  a  wife  and  children 
who,  if  they  are  ever  to  have  a  chance  in  this  world — " 

Arndt  interrupted  him.  "A  chance  to  occupy  just  such 
positions  as  these  same  rich  people  whom  you  are 
denouncing,  and  to  lead  just  such  lives — isn't  that  what 
you  are  working  for,  Doctor?" 

The  man  flushed  to  his  forehead  but  said  nothing,  and 
Arndt  continued:  "I'm  sorry  for  such  men  as  you,  by 
the  Eternal,  I  am! — and  the  world  is  full  of  them,  too.     I 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  41 

am  glad  you  acknowledge  that  you  are  keeping  your 
manhood  down,  but  it  is  worse  than  that: — you  are  losing 
it  altogether — or  nearly  so.  There  is  a  shadow  of  it  in  a 
corner  of  you  somewhere  that  shows  it  is  not  far  oft, — not 
so  far  off  but  that  you  might  get  it  back  again ;  and  it  is 
this  shadow,  which,  when  it  stirs, — as  it  is  bound  to  do 
at  sight  of  such  things  as  we  have  seen  and  experienced 
this  night — that  makes  you  confess  to  a  fellowman;  and 
then  you  feel  better — because  you  have  confessed. 

"By  the  Eternal!"  he  cried  hotly,  "I  wish  you  hadn't 
confessed;  for,  like  every  other  man  who  does  so,  you'll 
find  some  plausible  excuse  for  doing  the  same  thing  over 
again.  Oh!  your  excuse  is  a  nice  one,  and  a  virtuous  one; 
and  that  is  why  Nettie  is  right.  A  man  and  woman  who 
have  work  to  do  must  not  give  these  hostages  to  Fate. 

"Every  laughing  little  face  will  prevent  the  righteous 
anger  from  breaking  forth;  for  when  one  thinks  that  a 
single  word  may  mean  hunger  and  cold  to  the  child  as 
well  as  tears  in  the  eyes  of  the  mother,  action  becomes 
impossible.  That's  one  great  reason  why  the  corporations 
would  rather  employ  married  men;  though,  of  course,  it 
is  not  among  the  reasons  they  mention  publicly." 

There  was  silence  in  the  room  during  the  next  half 
hour,  for  the  doctor  was  with  his  patient;  and  during  this 
time  Arndt  sat  with  his  head  bent  forward  and  resting  on 
his  folded  arms,  endeavoring  to  face  and  realize  his  future 
—a  future  without  the  hope  of  one  day  making  Nettie  his 
wife,  in  it.  Most  of  us  have  been  through  deep  waters 
at  one  time  or  another  and  need  not  that  his  thoughts 
should  be  recorded.  When  Kenedy  returned  he  reported 
no  improvement  in  his  patient,  and  the  word  set  off  Arndt 
again.  "You  say  never  a  syllable  about  the  pride  with 
which  you  point  to  the  number  of  rich  men  who  entrust 
their  precious  lives  to  your  care.  Does  a  poor  man's 
appreciation  of  your  skill  give  you  as  much  pleasure  as 
a  rich  one's?  I  tell  you,  Man,  we  are  all  tarred  with  the 
same  brush.  There  isn't  one  of  us  who  doesn't  feel  him- 
self to  be  better  than  some  one  else  whom  he  can  name — 
whether  it  be  the  President,  who  feels  himself  a  somewhat 
bigger  and  better  man  than  the  Secretary  of  State,  or  the 
tramp  who  feels  himself  above  his  fellow  tramp  because, 


42  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

yesterday,  he  succeeded  in  getting  together  enough  to 
let  him  sleep  in  style  in  a  ten-cent  lodging  house, — while 
his  mate  has  to  sleep  in  the  alley-way  adjoining.  The 
classes  are  here — denial  of  the  fact  changes  nothing — and 
so  long  as  they  are  here,  the*  same  miserable  class  feeling 
will  run  through  us  all;  and  its  result  is  worse,  today, 
in  the  United  States  than  in  caste-ridden  India.  For, 
there,  the  Pariah  expects  nothing  from  the  high  caste 
Brahmin;  while  here,  we  are  taught — in  words — that  all 
men  are  equal;  and  in  every  action  have  it  proved  to  us 
that  each  man  is  better  than  some  one  else,  even  in  the 
sight  of  the  law: — and  when  theory  and  practice  don't  fit 
there's  bound  to  be  trouble." 

Arndt  fell  into  a  reverie,  and  Kenedy,  who  seemed  to 
be  watching  him  anxiously,  roused  him  with  the  remark: 
"Well,  I  don't  know  about  all  of  us  being  in  that  same 
state — though,  God  knows,  it's  bad  enough.  There's  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Charles  Arndt  that  seems  to  me  to  be 
pretty  free  from  it." 

"What!"  said  Arndt,  "why,  you  were  never  further 
from  the  truth  in  your  life.  I  find  myself  holding  back 
from  the  work  which  you  and  I  know  needs  to  be  done, 
not  because  I  fear  the  work  or  the  failure  which  I  think 
lies  ahead  of  me; — but  because  there  arises  in  my  mind 
the  image  of  Tom  and  Jack  and  Joe,  who,  we  all  know, 
are  professional  loafers  and  tramps  and  who  will  be  the 
very  first  or  among  the  very  first  to  get  the  benefits  of 
the  good  times  we  are  working  for.  And  so  we  say,  'I'll 
suffer  the  ills  I've  got,  rather  than  make  good  times  for 
a  set  of  people  who  don't  deserve  them.'  And  then  we 
go  on  making  the  very  best  of  times  for  those  who  are, 
perhaps,  cleaner  and  better  behaved,  in  general,  than  Tom 
and  Joe  and  Jack,  but  who  deserve  good  times  even  less 
than  they.  For  these  are  the  people  who,  by  refusing  to 
work  at  all,  cause  some  of  us  to  toil  eight  and  ten  and 
even  fourteen  hours  a  day  in  a  hell  on  earth  (which  fine 
ladies  come  to  look  at  and — standing  at  a  safe  distance,  a 
very  comfortable  distance — hide  their  beautiful  faces 
because,  forsooth,  'The  brutal  fellows  haven't  more  clothes 
on.'  Pshaw!  they  are  only  titled  and  aristocratic  tramps 
after  all)." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  43 

Instead  of  replying  Kenedy  went  out  of  the  room  and 
was  absent  quite  a  while,  and  on  his  return  he  merely 
shook  his  head  in  reply  to  Arndt's  look  of  inquiry,  and 
then  after  a  moment  said,  "I  can  do  nothing-  more  for  her 
now,  for  the  wife  and  old  Mrs.  Watson  are  giving  her  the 
treatment  I  ordered,  and  the  drugs  must  have  time  to 
act.  We  must  not  be  too  impatient;  though,  God  knows, 
I  wish  she  would  regain  consciousness!" 

Then,  as  if  to  divert  Arndt's  mind  from  his  trouble 
he  said,  "So  that  is  the  way  you  regard  the  rich?" 

"Observe,"  corrected  Arndt,  "I  said  the  idle  rich ;  but 
I  don't  exempt  a  man  from  the  charge  of  idleness  simply 
because  his  days  are  spent  in  traveling  or  in  stock-gam- 
bling or  because  his  days  and  nights  are  crowded  with 
social  functions,  either. 

"And  it  is  not  only  us  workers  in  the  mills  and  mines 
and  factories  that  are  suffering  from  this  unjust  share  of 
the  world's  work.  I  hear  tales  from  all  over  the  land  of 
this  terrible  struggle  for  existence;  and  certainly,  with  the 
improved  machinery  at  our  command  and  with  the  amount 
of  food  and  clothing  annually  produced  it  is  needless  that 
there, should  be  either  a  struggle  or  that  any  should  want. 
Yet  I  hear  or'  farmers  in  Texas  working  sixteen  hours  a 
day  during  planting  and  harvest  in  order  to  keep  the 
interest  on  the  mortgage  paid  so  that  their  farms  shall 
not  be  foreclosed  on;  and  then,  after  all  the  work,  unsea- 
sonable rains  or  a  drought  have  swept  out  or  burned  up 
the  results  of  months  of  labor — and  the  homes  are  lost. 
We,  in  the  cities,  know  of  the  terrible  destitution  which 
exists  here;  but  I  pity  the  farmers  almost  more  than  I 
do  men  of  my  own  calling.  They  have  not  even  the  Union 
to  help  them.  The  very  nature  of  their  occupation  has 
always  prevented  their  banding  together,  and,  in  many 
places,  I  am  told  that  the  doctors  and  storekeepers  could 
own  the  small  farmer's  homes  if  they  chose  to  press  their 
claims.  At  present  ten  per  cent  interest  suits  them 
better." 

The  doctor  who  knew  that  Arndt  was  usually  a  very 
reticent  fellow — except  among  his  most  intimate  friends — 
listened  without  making  a  motion  to  interrupt  him;  for 
he  saw  that  the  tension  on  the  man's  nerves  was  near  the 


44  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

breaking  point,  and  he  knew  that  Arndt  was  too  good  a 
friend  of  his  to  have  intended  anything  offensively  per- 
sonal in  his  remarks. 

So  he  waited  for  a  moment  before  he  replied;  but  as 
Arndt  was  evidently  straining  his  ears  to  catch  some  sound 
from  the  room  above  he  again  diverted  his  attention  by 
asking,  "How  is  it  that  holding  the  views  you  do  in  regard 
to  capital  and  labor  I  find  you  exerting  all  your  influence, 
both  in  the  Union  and  out  of  it,  against  Socialism?  To 
me,  especially  since  the  wonderfully  increased  vote  it  has 
rolled  up  in  the  last  few  years,  it  appears  the  very  medium 
you  need,  perfectly  organized  and  ready  to  your  hand." 

Arndt  replied  sadly:  "Yes;  it  would  look  that  way; 
but  I  have  never  been  persuaded  that  the  Socialist  Party 
would  be  able  to  attain  the  revolution  it  desires  by  means 
of  the  ballot, — and  I  would  suffer  almost  anything  rather 
than  see  a  civil  war.  Moreover,  when  I  started  to  inves- 
tigate its  claims  I  was  confronted  at  the  outset  with  the 
fact  that  its  entire  basis  is  materialistic,  and  I  cannot  leave 
an  overruling,  guiding  hand  out  of  my  scheme  of  things. 
I  have  many  dear  and  true  friends  among  the  Socialists, 
and  I  recognize  their  entire  unselfishness  and  devotion  to 
the  welfare  of  the  race;  but  the  Republic  itself  would  have 
to  be  shown  to  be  in  danger  and  their  claims  that  they  are 
the  very  party  that  will  prevent,  not  cause,  war,  be  proved 
conclusively  to  me,  before  I  can  throw  in  my  lot  with 
them." 

"I  see,"  said  the  doctor,  "and  I  will  think  over  what 
you  have  said.  You  will  find  me  ready  to  take  a  stand  by 
your  side  if  I  see  that  anything  can  be  accomplished.  I 
think  what  is  holding  the  great  middle  class  steady  on  the 
side  of  Capital  just  now  is  not  altogether  selfishness,  but 
the  fear  that  they  will  only  be  fighting  a  battle  with  nothing 
worth  the  while  gained  at  the  end  of  it.  Just  think  of 
the  struggles  of  the  past  and  what  a  little  you  have  today 
to  show  for  all  the  so-called  victories!  And  also, -the  Tom 
and  Dick  and  Joe  of  whom  you  spoke,  hold  many  a  man 
back.     Remember  the  carnival  of  blood  in  France!" 

"Yes,"  broke  in  Arndt,  "and  the  fear  of  the  excesses 
which  men  of  that  class  will  be  sure  to  commit  causes 
the  workingman  to  hold  back   from   many  a   righteous 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  45 

strike;  an'd  I  believe  that  that  class  is  permitted  to  run 
loose  and  perpetrate  their  depredations  in  order  to  alienate 
the  good  feeling's  of  the  middle  class  from  the  workers. 
I've  suspected  it  for  some  time.  Of  course,  we  have  fools 
and  hotheads  among  the  men;  but  our  men  are  not  vicious 
and  we  can  hold  them  in  check  by  threats  of  putting  them 
out  of  the  Union.  But  what  can  we  do  when  the  Govern- 
ment does  not  control  this  class  which  has  caused  us  more 
trouble  than  it  has  ever  caused  the  rich.  I'm  of  the 
opinion  that  the  rich  employers  find  it  much  easier  to 
control  their  workers  owing  to  the  existence  of  this  very 
class,  and  that  they  know  it." 

"It  may  be  so,"  said  Kenedy,  "but  I  will  have  to  defer 
what  I  would  like  to  say  on  the  other  side  of  this  subject, 
for  there  at  last,  is  the  nurse  I'sent  to  the  hospital  for.  I 
must  hand  the  case  over  to  her  for  the  present.  I  have 
patients  I  must  see  at  once  (here  is  a  list  of  places  I  am 
going  to — send  for  me  if  there  is  any  change).  You  had 
better  get  some  rest — for  I  don't  want  you  on  my  hands — • 
at  least  try  to  keep  quiet  and  lie  down  until  my  wife  calls 
us  to  breakfast; — but  I  will  be  back  before  that  time,  if 
possible. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"The  massive  gates  of  circumstance 
Are  turned  upon  the  smallest  hinge." 

— Old  Saying. 

As  Arndt  and  Kenedy  were  about  to  seat  themselves  at 
the  table,  on  which  steamed  the  breakfast  prepared  for 
them  by  the  neighbors  and  the  old  servant,  they  were 
startled  by  a  violent  ringing,  of  the  doorbell,  and  before 
they  could  take  the  seats  the  dining  room  door  opened 
and  old  Mr.  Endy  entered.  He  hesitated  a  moment  on 
seeing  the  men  and  then  said — with  great  agitation — 
"Excuse  me,  Gentlemen;  I  heard,  only  a  half  hour  ago, 
that  my  old  friend  Angus  is  dead.  I  came  to  see  Nettie. 
Is  it  true,  Doctor?" 

Kenedy  placed  the  chair  on  which  his  hand  still  rested, 
near  the  old  man  and  said  quietly,  "You  had  better  take 
this  seat,  Mr.  Endy,"  and  Arndt — ever  observant  of  the 
smallest  things — noticed  that  the  note  of  servility  (which 
he  had  always  disliked  in  the  voice  of  Kenedy — when  he 
was  addressing  the  rich)  was  gone;  and  he  said  to  himself, 
"My  work  will  not  be  a  total  failure:  one  good  man  is, 
already,  partially  emancipated." 

The  old  millionaire  gratefully  took  the  offered  seat; 
but  before  he  did  so  he  shook  hands  with  both  men,  as 
he  said,  "Excuse  me,  Gentlemen,  for  my  discourtesy, — I 
am  too  agitated  to  think  much  about  manners  today." 
Turning  to  the  doctor  he  said,  "Well,  Mr.  Kenedy,  let  me 
hear  the  worst." 

Kenedy — who  had  been  waiting  for  the  man  to  pull 
himself  together — said  quietly,  "Angus  is  dead:  heart  fail- 
ure from  shock.  Nettie  is  down — still  unconscious.  I  fear 
serious  trouble  with  the  brain." 

"Not  Nettie,  too!"  broke  in  Mr.  Endy;  but  the  doctor 
remained  silent,  and  then  the  other  said  brokenly,  "You 
must,  you  must,  save  her,  Doctor.    My  boy  must  not  have 

46 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  47 

two  lives  charged  against  him;"  and  when  Kenedy  would 
have  spoken  a  word  of  expostulation  at  that  view  of  it  he 
interrupted  him  with  a  gesture  and  said,  "Can  I  see  him?" 

"Certainly,"  said  the  doctor,  and  opened  the  door  into 
the  sitting  room,  and  the  other  passed  him,  saying,  "Thank 
you,  Doctor!  close  the  door." 

Kenedy  and  Arndt  then  took  their  seats  and  ate — the 
former  from  habit,  for  even  the  finest  feelings  become 
blunted  by  the  constant  sight  of  suffering — and  the  latter 
because  he  felt  the  absolute  necessity  for  strength:  and 
so  he  ate  as  much  as  he  could,  although  his  nerves  were 
on  such  a  strain  that  every  mouthful  was  taken  only  by  a 
violent  effort  of  the  will. 

"Good!"  said  the  doctor  as  Arndt  finally  pushed  back 
his  plate,  "that  is  better  than  I  expected  you  to  do." 

"What  one  must  do,  one  can  do,"  was  the  reply;  and 
Kenedy  thought,  "That  describes  you — exactly;"  but  aloud 
he  said  only,  "I  suppose  so!  and  what  I  must  do,  at  once, 
is  to  see  Nettie,  and  then  go  to  my  other  patients;"  and 
he  left  the  room. 

Charles  Arndt  leaned  back  in  his  chair  while  the  neigh- 
bor who  had  come,  at  his  request  during  the  night, 
removed  the  breakfast  dishes  and  then  pushed  the  table 
back  against  the  wall;  and  then  he  said  to  her,  "I  will 
wait  here,  Mrs.  Watson,  and  if  there  is  anything  I  can  do 
you  will  know  where  to  find  me." 

In  the  sitting  room  all  was  silence,  and  Arndt  smiled 
bitterly  as  he  thought  of  that  father's  words  "Tivo  Ikes." 

"What  would  he  think,"  said  he  to  himself,  "if  he  knew 
of  the  actual  amount  of  suffering  his  son's  ambition  has 
already  caused,  and  what,  if  he  could  see  the  total  number 
that  man  will  probably  kill  and  the  lives  he  will  wreck  as 
he  builds  up  what  he  so  glibly  calls  'My  success.'  Why, 
I  would  not  like  to  show  him  the  picture  of  the  suffering 
his  son's  ambition  will  cause  within  one  week  from  today. 
Two  lives,  indeed!     Poor  old  man!" 

At  this  moment  the  doctor  returned,  and  Arndt  looked 
searchingly  at  his  face;  but  the  trouble  he  saw  there  was 
answer  enough,  and  he  asked  no  questions.  But  Kenedy, 
after  a  moment  said,  "I  have  telegraphed  to  Clyde  for  Dr. 


48  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

King.  I  will  remain  here  until  he  comes.  Has  Mr.  Endy 
gone?"  he  then  inquired. 

"I  think  not,"  said  Arndt,  "I  have  not  even  heard 
him." 

As  if  the  sound  of  his  name  had  caused  him  to  appear, 
— at  the  moment  the  doctor  was  about  to  knock  upon 
the  door, — it  opened  from  within,  and  Mr.  Endy  walked 
out.  To  the  surprise  of  both  men  he  appeared  more  com- 
posed than  when  he  entered;  and  he  took  the  chair  Arndt 
handed  him,  with  thanks  and  said, — addressing  Kenedy, — 
"How  is  Nettie?" 

"The  case  is  beyond  me,"  was  the  reply,  "I  have  tele- 
graphed for  King." 

The  old  man  shrank  as  if  struck  and  cried,  "Not  for 
King?  surely  it  is  not  so  bad  as  that!" 

"Yes!"  said  Kenedy  sadly;  and  left  the  room. 

Mastering  his  emotion  after  a  long  pause  the  visitor 
said,  "Mr.  Arndt,  I  am  informed  that  you  are  engaged  to 
be  married  to  Nettie;  that  gives  you  the  right  to  be  con- 
sulted— especially  as  I  know  of  no  relatives  of  Angus 
MacDonald  nearer  than  Scotland.  I  would  like  to  make 
all  the  arrangements  for  the  funeral  of  my  old  comrade. 
Nettie  has  been  a  friend  of  mine  ever  since  she  was  a 
little  child  (though  it  is  true  that  of  late  years  she  has  not 
visited  at  the  mansion),  and  I  would  gladly  have  her 
removed  there  if  it  could  be  done  safely." 

Arndt  broke  in  hastily  but  quite  respectfully,  "She  will 
never  be  under  the  same  roof  as  that  which  shelters  your 
son,  Sir — no:  not  for  a  moment.  My  sister,  who  lives  in 
Clyde,  will  he  here — probably  on  the  same  train  as  Dr. 
King.  She  is  a  trained  nurse,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  one 
from  the  hospital,  who  is  now  here,  and  the  help  which 
the  poor  always  give  to  those  in  distress,  I  can  assure 
you  that  Nettie  will  be  well  taken  care  of." 

"I  know  exactly  how  you  feel  about  it!"  said  the  elder 
man,  "and  I  do  not  say  that  you  are  wrong;  for  that  is 
probably  as  Nettie  would  wish  it.  But,  in  regard  to  the 
other  matter;  remember  that  I  have  a  claim  which  only 
an  uninterrupted  friendship  of  thirty-five  years  and  over 
can  give, — and  also," — looking  straight  at  Arndt — "my 
fortune  was  honestly  earned,  and  is  not  yet  my  son's." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  49 

Arndt  thought  about  the  dividends  of  the  Iron  and 
Steel  Company — which  he  believed  belonged  partly  to 
the  men — and  he  met  the  look  steadily;  but  then,  sud- 
denly, he  yielded  to  an  impulse  of  pity  as  he  thought  of 
the  relations  said  to  exist  between  father  and  son,  and 
he  took  the  hand  which  was  extended  to  him,  saying, 
"You  are  right!     Do  as  you  wish  in  the  matter." 

Robert  Endy  replied,  v'Thank  you,  and  if  you  have 
time,  I  wish  to  speak  of  a  more  personal  matter." 

"Oh,"  said  Arndt,  pulling  himself  together,  "as  for 
time,  I  have  plenty  of  that  on  my  hands  just  now — and 
there  seems  to  be  nothing  to  do  but  wait;  but  I  think 
there  is  nothing  else  that  we  need  discuss."  He  was 
thinking  of  his  lost  position. 

"Permit  me,  Sir,"  said  his  companion,  "to  state  my 
case, — then  you  may  be  a  more  competent  juror." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Arndt,  "I  haven't  heard  even 
one  side  yet;  and  I,  usually,  try  to  listen  patiently  to  both 
sides  before  I  render  a  verdict;  but,  today,  you  know — 
today—" 

"Yes,  yes!"  said  his  hearer,  "I  know.  Today,  we  are 
none  of  us  quite  ourselves,  and  that  is  precisely  why  I  must 
speak  today.  I  consider  it  providential  that  I  am  able  to 
talk  to  you  while  we  are  both  of  us  softened  by  the  near- 
ness of  the  suffering  which  is  in  this  house.  I  am  a  rich 
man;  but,  I  think,  not  usually  a  hard  man.  Still,  wealth 
hardens  all  of  us;  and  I  find  myself  addressing  even  the 
servants  who  have  been  with  me  for  many  years,  in  the 
language,  and  with  the  slighting  tones,  used  by  my  daily 
associates, — and  I  am  sorry  for  it,  sorry  for  it;  but  one's 
environment  gets  the  better  of  one  sooner  or  later.  I 
realized — as  I  stood  by  Angus,  in  there, — that  this  ter- 
rible habit  of  feeling  above  one's  fellowman  (simply  on 
account  of  wealth  or  station)  had  lately  caught  such  a 
grip  on  me  that  I  had  been  patronizing  in  my  manner 
even  to  him,  who  was  better  and  wiser  than  most  men. 

"He  might  have  been  a  much  richer  man  today,  for  I 
offered  to  secure  him  a  better  position  when  the  works 
were  consolidated;  but  he  said,  'This  work  I  can  do  as 
well  as  any  one — that  work  requires  a  younger  man:  give 
them  the  chance,' — and  he  refused  me.     So  I  am  glad  to 


5o  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

say  my  say  while  I  am  free  from  the  habit  which  would 
assuredly  prevent  our  understanding  each  other;  for  1 
think  that  if  you  find  that  feeling  in  a  man  you  close  your 
shell  pretty  tight." 

"Yes!"  said  Arndt,  emphatically,  "you  are  right.  It  is 
the  one  thing  I  can't  forgive  the  rich." 

"Precisely!"  said  Mr.  Endy,  "I  thought  as  much,  and 
that  is  why  I  have  told  you  this;  for  I  want  you  to  remem- 
ber, in  the  future,  that  if  there  is  ever  a  trace  of  it  in  my 
manner  to  you  or  any  man,  it  is  in  the  manner  only: — 
the  feeling  back  of  the  manner  is  entirely  different." 

But  Arndt  said  abruptly,  "I  think  that  I  could  not 
promise  so  much.  That  supercilious  tone  and  attitude  of 
the  rich  towards  the  poor  is  the  sorest  spot  in  the  whole 
sore  question.  I  think  I  have  carefully  studied  this  prob- 
lem, and  I  see  so  much  in  favor  of  the  rich  that  I  am  con- 
sidered a  weak  man  by  many  in  the  Union; — but  when  a 
man  who  is  my  superior  simply  because  he  is  rich,  or 
because  his  father  was  able  to  give  him  a  better  start  than 
I  had,  addresses  me  as  if  he  were  talking  to  his  dog,  I 
forget  everything  I  ever  knew  in  favor  of  men  of  his 
class  and  then  he  will  get  nothing  but  what  duty  requires 
out  of  me  until  he  alters  his  tone.  For  I  notice  that  I 
never  have  to  complain  of  anything  of  the  kind  in  the 
attitude  of  those  who  might  with  some  show  of  justice 
claim  to  be  above  the  average.  A  man  of  extraordinary 
goodness  or  learning  does  not  take  this  position — unless 
he  becomes  suddenly  rich.  We  don't  mind  your  having 
things  we  have  not — coaching  parties  and  so  forth  ad 
infinitum, — it's  the  dust  you  fling  on  us  as  you  pass  (and 
the  haughty,  scornful  looks  of  your  fine  gentlemen  and 
beautiful  women)  which  cause  us  to  remember  that  if  they 
were  each  of  them  doing — every  day — the  four  hours  of 
actual  labor  which  belongs  to  them  as  their  share  of  the 
world's  work,  we  and  our  wives  and  sweethearts  might 
also  be  having  a  holiday. 

"Let  them  take  care — let  them  take  care!  Those 
haughty  looks  and  words  and  tones  may,  some  day,  cost 
them  dear;  for  they  are  never  forgotten  by  the  man  or 
woman  to  whom  they  are  addressed.  We  may  think  that 
other  things  have  been  partly  our  own  fault;  and  God 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  51 

knows  we  ought  never  to  have  allowed  things  to  come  to 
this  pass;  but  the  humblest  of  us  knows  that  he  has  done 
nothing  to  deserve  the  contempt  of  such  as  many  of  them 
are." 

"Let  me  ask,"  said  his  hearer,  "whether  all  work- 
ingmen  feel  as  you  do  in  this  matter?" 

"Of  course,"  said  Arndt,  "some  of  them  have  indi- 
vidual causes  of  complaint,  which,  for  the  time,  over- 
shadow everything  else.  Some,  yes,  many,  are  Socialists 
who  take  exception  to  the  industrial  system  itself.  But 
to  my  mind  this  is  the  one  standing  grievance  which  was 
and  is  never  alleviated.  And  the  numbering  of  the  men 
is  felt  to  be  an  open  expression  of  the  contempt  in  which 
they  are  individually  held." 

"Oh,  I  think  not!"  said  Mr.  Endy. 

"I  wish  I  could  agree  with  you,"  Arndt  replied,  "but 
as  I  look  at  it  these  things  are  attacks  on  our  manhood 
and  freedom,  and  must  be  resented." 

Mr.  Endy  said,  "How?"  but  at  that  moment  Kenedy 
looked  in  and  said,  "I  am  going  to  the  station  for  Dr. 
King.  I  wish  that  you  would  not  leave  the  house  during 
my  absence,  Charlie.     I  think  Nettie  is  no  worse." 

Arndt  replied,  "Certainly  I  will  not;  but  in  that  case 
I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  kindly  look  after  my  sister — 
who  will  probably  arrive  on  the  same  train, — and  you 
must  explain  to  her  why  I  could  not  come  to  meet  her." 

"Never  fear,"  was  the  reply;  "I  am  too  thankful  to 
have  so  good  a  nurse  coming  to  help  us  as  I  know  her  to 
be,  to  not  attend  to  her  getting  here  safely." 

And  then  the  two  were  left  alone  again. 

"I  am  not  surprised,"  said  Mr.  Endy;  "in  fact,  I 
expected  something  like  this  to  be  the  case.  Of  course, 
it  is  not  only  the  poor  man  who  is  studying  this  problem. 
There  are  plenty  of  rich  men  who  feel  as  I  do — which 
would  suit  you  very  well, — only  they  act  as  I  sometimes 
do,  or  worse — and  that  you  do  not  like  at  all:  and  I  do 
not  blame  you.  Why,  it  makes  my  blood  boil  to  hear 
Robert  order  Rollins  around. — though  Rollins  never 
resents  it,  and — " 

Arndt  interrupted  him:     "Maybe  you  had  better  say, 


52  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Never  appears  to  resent  it.     I  imagine  that  is  nearer  the 
truth." 

"I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  replied  his  hearer,  "perhaps 
you  are  right;  but  I  must  come  to  the  point — as  the  train 
will  soon  be  in  and  we  may  not  have  a  chance  to  talk 
together  immediately  afterwards.  I  want  your  help,  Mr. 
Arndt!  I  can  neither  control  the  conduct  of  my  son  nor 
prevent  the  consequences  of  his  acts.  I  foresee  that  what 
he  does  will  cause  great  unhappiness  and  suffering — the 
former  I  cannot  ward  off:  the  latter  I  must  do  all  in  my 
power  to  lessen.  These  working  people  mistrust  every 
man  of  my  class;  and  there  are  also  dishonest  men  among 
you,  as  well  as  among  us,  and  they  would  get  the  money 
I  intend  for  the  worthy.  Now,  I  expect  that  there  will 
be  a  strike  soon — on  account  of  that  order  about  number- 
ing the  men — and  I  want  you  to  be  my  agent  in  the  relief 
of  suffering  among  the  workers  and  their  families. 

"I  had  intended  to  ask  Angus  to  undertake  this  work 
for  me,  but — "  his  voice  broke  down  and  there  was  silence 
for  some  moments,  and  then  he  said,  "If  it  takes  every 
cent  of  my  income — all  right!  Only,  of  course,  this  is 
between  us.  I  ask  no  credit  from  God  or  man  for  doing 
justice  and  right." 

Arndt  sat  as  if  stunned,  and  finally  said,  "How  do  you 
know  there  will  be  a  strike,  or  that  I  am  the  man  you 
need?" 

The  old  man  smiled  for  the  first  time  since  he  had 
entered  the  house,  as  he  said,  "Mr.  Arndt,  rich  men  never 
get  rich  on  their  own  'labor,  but  by  carefully  selecting  the 
right  man  for  the  right  place  and  letting  him  do  the  work. 
I  agree  with  you  in  thinking  that  they  get  entirely  too 
much  pay  for  that  little  matter  of  good  judgment;  but 
that  is  the  fact.  And  I  also  suspect  that  you  are  one  of 
the  men  on  the  strike  Committee;  and  I  am  pretty  certain 
you  are  the  one  who  voted  to  defer  action  when  this  order 
for  numbering  the  men  was  promulgated.  Now,  I  expect 
you  to  change  your  vote.  The  fight  may, as  well  come  on 
at  once." 

"I  did  not  expect  to  do  so  at  present,"  said  Arndt, 
"because  winter  is  near  and  the  men  would  suffer;  and,  if 
I  accept  your  offer,  you  understand  that  the  strike  will  be 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  53 

long  and  may  extend  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land,  and  may  embrace  every  employe  of  a  corporation 
(for  they  are  all  touched  by  this  question),  so  that  the 
men  would  get  little  help  from  outside  branches  of  the 
Union  if  the  strike  became  general.  But,  apart  from  that, 
this  is  the  time  to  strike.  The  company  does  not  expect 
it.  They  have  been  deferring  signing  the  wage  scale  ever 
since  the  last  agreement  expired — when  they  voluntarily 
increased  wages.  I  don't  know  what  their  object  is;  but 
such  being  the  case,  there  could  be  no  charge  of  violated 
contract  brought  against  us  if  we  strike  now.  Then  again, 
today,  most  of  the  middle  class  are  with  us  on  account  of 
the  extortionate  prices  which  the  consolidated  industries 
have  forced  upon  them,  and  also,  the  companies  are 
rushed  with  orders  and  will  be  correspondingly  hurt  if 
they  have  to  shut  down  for  any  length  of  time  and  could 
not  fulfill  their  contracts." 

"Very  good!"  said  Mr.  Endy.  "I  am  an  old  man.  My 
son  has  chosen  his  path — in  spite  of  all  that  I  could  say. 
I  am  an  American,  as  well  as  a  father.  I  believe  in  the 
Brotherhood  of  Man,  and  instead  of  putting  up  public 
libraries  which  the  laborer  has  neither  time  nor  inclina- 
tion to  use  after  the  exhausting  toil  of  the  day  is  over, 
and  instead  of  endowing  a  University  which  only  well- 
to-do  people's  sons  can  attend,  I  am  going  to  devote  my 
entire  income,  every  year,  from  this  day  until  I  die,  to  the 
actual  relief  of  the  sufferings  of  the  class  who  earned  this 
money.  And  we  will  use  some  of  the  principal  from  time 
to  time  when  we  can  see  our  way  clear  to  permanently 
benefit  their  position." 

"May  Almighty  God  reward  you  for  your  decision!" 
said  Arndt. 

"I  am  already  amply  rewarded,  in  the  peace  of  mind 
which  came  to  me  when  I  made  that  vow  beside  the  coffin 
of  my  friend,"  said  Mr.  Endy;  "but  as  yet  I  have  done 
nothing,  and  when  I  do,  it  must  not  be  known  who  is 
doing  it.  I  am  particular  about  this;  for  I  am  made  per- 
fectly sick  by  seeing  how  every  contribution  from  the 
rich — of  a  tithe  of  one  day's  income,  even — once  in  a 
while — causes  the  whole  Press  of  the  United  States  to 
overflow  with  praise." 


54  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Arndt  took  advantage  of  the  pause  to  exclaim,  "That 
was  well  put,  Mr.  Endy;  for  it  is  the  Press,  and  some 
of  the  middle  class,  who  always  get  the  benefit  of  those 
donations — 'Mouth-closers,'  we  call  them — who  do  the 
overflowing.     The  actual  working  class  are  not  fooled." 

Mr.  Endy  quickly  remarked,  "I  am  glad  of  that;"  and 
then  continued,  "I  believe  in  Liberty;  and  the  course 
which  the  young  men  who  are  now  in  command  are  pur- 
suing, means  the  ultimate  slavery  of  the  working  class, 
the  world  over:  a  slavery  compared  to  which  that  of  the 
Blacks  previous  to  the  war  of  1861  was  paradise.  For 
then — except  in  extreme  cases — the  bodies  of  the  slaves 
were,  at  least,  well  clothed  and  fed,  and  proper  medical 
attention  was  assured — together  with  good  and  clean 
houses — while  today!  why,  only  yesterday  I  heard  my 
pastor  remonstrating  with  an  elder  in  our  church  about 
the  starving  condition  of  a  family  that  worked  for  him; 
and  the  only  reply  he  received  was:  'Well,  they  are  all 
sickly  and  don't  turn  out  as  much  work  per  capita  as 
others  in  our  employ, — and  the  sooner  they  die  the  sooner 
they  will  be  out  of  their  misery;  and  then  we  will  get  a 
healthier  family  in  their  place!'" 

In  answer  to  a  look  of  astonishment  from  Arndt  he 
said,  "Oh,  certainly!  the  rich  know  these  things  as  well 
as  you  do;  and  I  expect  that  it  is  hurting  the  feelings  of 
many  a  one  of  us  today;  but  we  are  all  afraid  to  make  a 
move  for  fear  that  things  cannot  be  controlled  at  the  right 
point.    You  know  how  that  is." 

"Well,"  said  Arndt,  "I  expect  the  move  has  been  made, 
already;  for  I  had  no  hope  that  the  men  would  be  held 
back  or  listen  to  anything  I  could  say  when  they  heard 
about  the  death  of  Angus:  he  was  loved  by  all  as  few 
bosses  ever  are.  He  had  the  good  of  the  workers  at  heart 
and  believed  in  their  manhood.  So,  I  am  more  relieved 
than  I  can  tell  you.  I  accept  and  thank  you  for  your  offer, 
in  their  behalf.  I  will  see  to  it  that  they  do  all  in  their 
own  power  to  help  themselves;  but  when  they  need  assist- 
ance I  will  freely  draw  on  you.  The  Union  meets  tonight, 
and  I  expect  there  will  be  a  strike  ordered  to  take  effect 
at  once,  and  to  last  until  the  offensive  order  is  repealed — 
and  several  other  matters  straightened  out;  but  this  is, 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  55 

of  course,  strictly  a  secret.  I  may  not  be  able  to  send  you 
word  of  the  result  of  the  meeting — I  may  not  be  able  to 
be  there  myself — " 

"Bear  up — bear  up!"  said  Mr.  Endy,  "there  is  work  for 
us  to  do.  I  have  some  plans  in  my  mind  which  I  will 
talk  about  some  other  day.  I  want  to  say  that  I  will  leave 
here  to  go  to  my  lawyer  in  Clyde  in  order  to  fix  my  will 
so  that  if  anything  goes  wrong  with  me,  you  will  still  be 
able  to  help  the  men;  for  I  want  to  aid  in  fighting  this 
evil  which  is  crushing  the  manhood  out  of  every  one  of  us 
— rich  as  well  as  poor." 

"By  the  way,"  said  Arndt,  "excuse  me;  but  your 
income  depends  largely  on  these  works  keeping  running." 

"I  was  wondering  whether  you  would  think  of  that," 
was  the  reply.  "It  did — but  it  does  not.  I  have  not  liked 
the  methods  used,  and  also  as  a  matter  of  business  precau- 
tion I  have  gradually  sold  stock  ever  since  I  received  my 
allotment — so  that,  today,  there  is  not  enough  left  in  my 
hands  to  bother  about.  Of  course,  I  could  sell  that  at 
once;  but  I  could  not  consider  that  course  honorable — 
knowing  what  I  know  about  the  future." 

At  this  moment  they  heard  the  noise  of  the  approach- 
ing carriage  as  it  came  rapidly  along  the  almost  deserted 
road  toward  this  humble  house  in  Steelton.  And  the 
thoughts  of  those  in  the  carriage  took  no  further  range 
than  the  room  behind  Charles  Arndt  and  Robert  Endy 
where  all  that  remained  of  Angus  MacDonald  lay  silent  in 
death  and  the  little  room  upstairs  (directly  overhead  those 
who  so  anxiously  awaited  their  coming)  where,  appar- 
ently as  lifeless,  lay  the  woman  on  whose  life  or  death, — 
Robert  Endy  thought, — hung  the  determining  of  whether 
the  labor  question  was  to  reach  a  final  settlement  without 
the  arbitrament  of  war. 

And  the  thoughts  of  the  great  and  busy  world  of 
human  beings  so  eagerly  striving  and  struggling  to  secure 
a  living  or  to  supersede  one  another,  were  not  centered 
on  this  house  where  a  millionaire  and  a  workingman  had 
met  and  talked  as  man  to  man  and  planned  to  bring  about 
peace — the  Peace  we  prate  about  but  never  have  had. 

Few  except  the  workers  in  the  Steelton  Mills  were 
thinking  of  the  house  at  all;  few  outside  of  Steelton  knew 


56  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

of  its  existence;  and  yet,  Robert  Endy  as  he  stood  beside 
his  companion  looking  out  of  the  single,  small  window 
towards  the  carriage — now  in  sight — took  note  of  the 
wintry  sun  that  peered  through  the  half  closed  blinds  into 
that  darkened  room  where  Angus  MacDonald  lay,  took 
note  of  the  smoke  belching  from  the  numerous  tall, 
unsightly  chimneys  of  the  Company's  works,  and,  as  he 
turned  and  gazed  at  that  workingman  and  took  note  of  his 
strong,  resolute  face  and  realized  what  was  written  there, 
he  became  fully  convinced  that  there,  and  not  at  Wash- 
ington nor  anywhere  else,  was  the  center  of  things  that 
day;  and  he  said, 

"We  must  give  our  lives  to  preventing  the  resort  to 
the  arbitrament  of  War." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  Arndt  as  he  clasped  the  out- 
stretched hand. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"He  laughs  best  who  laughs  last." 

— Old  Saying. 

In  the  life  of  every  thinking  man  or  woman  there  are 
moments  or  hours  which  stand  out,  afterwards,  from  all 
the  rest  of  the  lifetime  as  if  they  alone  were  of  any  impor- 
tance. These  days  and  nights  which  followed  his  declara- 
tion of  independence  were  thus  marked  in  the  life  of  Charles 
Arndt;  but  separate  and  apart — even  in  this  isolation — 
stood  out  the  hours  which  followed  the  arrival  of  the  two 
physicians  and  his  sister  Annie:  all  of  whom  proceeded 
at  once  to  the  room  where  the  sick  girl  lay — leaving  Mr. 
Endy  and  Arndt  together;  and  they,  by  mutual  consent, 
spoke  no  word,  but  listened  to  the  footfalls  on  the  floor 
above. 

With  senses  all  alert  to  catch  the  sound  of  a  footstep 
which — pausing  at  the  door  of  their  room — should  bring 
a  messenger  announcing  the  verdict  of  life  or  death — or 
even  give  them  a  word  of  hope, — they  waited.  But  their 
presence  in  the  house  seemed  to  have  been  forgotten;  and 
at  last  the  strain  of  listening  to  those  sounds  above,  and 
to  those  others  in  the  front  room — where  the  body  of 
Angus  MacDonald  was  being  prepared  for  burial — became 
too  much  for  Arndt,  and  he  commenced  to  pace  up  and 
down  the  small  room  with  his  hands  clasped  behind  him. 

Then  Mr.  Endy  said,  "I  can  wait  no  longer.  I  must 
get  to  the  city  to  attend  to  that  matter  of  the  will,  today." 

So  the  two  men  passed  out  by  the  back  door  and 
around  the  house  to  the  front  where  Mr.  Endy's  carriage 
waited  for  him;  and  as  he  entered  it  he  said  to  Arndt, 
"Please  telegraph  me  the  verdict  at  my  lawyer's" — giving 
him  the  address, — and  then  reached  out  his  hand  and  said, 
"Good-bye,  my  boy,  and  don't  give  up  hope." 

But  Arndt  could  only  wring  his  hand — he  could  not 
trust  his  voice;  and  John,  the  coachman,  who  had  been 

57 


58  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

looking  on  in  more  open  amazement  than  is  usually  per- 
mitted in  a  servant,  was  evidently  much  pleased  by  the 
kind  tone  of  the  words  with  which  Mr.  Endy  addressed 
him  as  he  said,  "Now,  John,  to  the  station  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible— please." 

And  the  pace  at  which  they  traveled  over  the  hard, 
smooth  road  might  have  told  the  employer  that  willing 
service  can  be  obtained  only  by  kindness — which,  after  all, 
simply  recognizes  the  Brotherhood  of  Man.  The  other 
kind  of  service  is  easily  secured  for  money;  but,  from 
the  complaints  heard  daily,  it  cannot  be  very  satisfactory. 

But  Mr.  Endy  was  thinking  of  other  things;  and  Arndt, 
as  he  noticed  the  look  of  pleasure  on  John's  face  and  then 
observed  the  speed  at  which  the  carriage  receded  from 
sight,  said,  aloud:  "That  man  has  discovered  the  solution 
of  the  labor  problem.  I  wonder  whether  he  will  be  able 
to  put  it  into  practical  operation.  It  will  take  more  than 
one  or  two  of  us  to  do  it." 

He  did  not  return  to  the  house,  for  he  felt  as  if  he 
would  have  to  cry  out  for  word  from  that  room  if  he  heard 
the  footsteps  overhead.  And  so  Kenedy  found  him  pacing 
up  and  down  on  the  gravel  walk  in  front  of  the  back 
door, — when  he  remembered  about  him. 

No  one  in  that  house  had  thought  about  eating,  and 
it  was  now  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  and  as 
Arndt  turned  around  and  saw  the  satisfied  look  on  Ken- 
edy's face — a  look  which  said,  "We  have  fought  and  won," 
he  stood  still  and  said  aloud,  "Thank  God!" 

For,  whether  we  believe  in  a  personal  God  or  not,  we 
all  involuntarily  thank  Him  at  such  a  moment. 

"Yes!"  said  Kenedy,  "Thank  God — and  Dr.  King. 
Come  with  us.  We  are  going  to  the  railroad  station  res- 
taurant for  something  to  eat.  We  can  do  nothing  further 
here  at  present,  and  King  must  return  to  the  city  by  the 
four  o'clock  train."  And  when  Arndt  would  have  pro- 
tested against  being  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  great 
specialist  he  said,  "Nonsense!  I  want  him  to  meet  you, 
not  you  him.  You  will  need  the  influence  of  such  a  man, 
and  the  better  he  knows  a  real  working  man  the  more 
sure  you  are  of  his  good  will.  Come  along!  I  will  take 
no  excuse." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  59 

So  Arndt  made  no  further  objection  than  to  say,  "You 
know  that  I  am  hardly  presentable — and  not  at  all  myself 
at  this  time;"  and  the  hour  which  he  passed  in  the  com- 
pany of  true  greatness  and  true  gentlemanliness  was  the 
second  ray  of  happiness  that  had  come  into  his  life  for 
several  days.  The  evident  pleasure  with  which  King  told 
of  what  he  called  a  triumph  of  Science — never  mentioning 
himself  alone  in  connection  with  the  case  as  he  described 
the  different  means  which  as  he  said  "We  used" — was 
never  forgotten  by  Arndt  (although  the  processes  and  the 
technical  terms  soon  passed  from  his  memory). 

As  they  took  leave  of  him,  King  thanked  Kenedy  for 
having  given  him  a  chance  to  study  an  extraordinary  case; 
and  shaking  hands  with  Arndt  he  said,  "You  are  a  good 
listener,  Mr.  Arndt,  and  also,  I  think,  something  more, — 
and  I  hope  to  have  leisure  to  see  you  some  other  day. 
Kenedy  told  me  some  things  about  you  that  please  me 
very  much;  and  if  ever  I  can  serve  you — or  the  cause  you 
represent — do  me  the  favor  to  remember  that  I  consider 
myself  in  the  debt  of  any  man  who  gives  me  the  oppor- 
tunity to  lessen  the  ills  that  afflict  humanity.  Good-bye, 
Gentlemen."    And  then  the  train  rolled  out  of  the  station. 

On  the  way  back  to  the  house  Kenedy  said,  "It  is  an 
extraordinary  case ; — there  had  to  be  measures  used  which 
I,  alone,  would  not  take  the  responsibility  for;  and,  also, 
I  had  to  have  experienced  help.  We  may  even  escape 
any  complications,  by  good  nursing, — and  I  think  we  are 
sure  of  that." 

"Yes,"  said  Arndt,  "Annie  will  see  to  that;  but  even 
at  the  best,  Nettie  will  not  walk  in  this  garden  (as  they 
went  towards  the  house)   for  many  a  day;  she  will  never 

again  look  on  her  father's  face." 

********** 

The  next  day  Angus  MacDonald  was  buried. 

Robert  Endy,  Sr.,  and  Charles  Arndt  stood  side  by 
side  at  the  open  grave,  and  clasped  hands  as  they  turned 
away. 

It  was  the  hour  of  noon  when  the  last  words  and  the 
last  rites  over  the  dead  were  concluded,  and  at  that 
moment  the  loud  blast  of  the  whistle  of  the  C.  I.  &  S.  Co. 
sounded  shrilly  on  the  winter  air. 


60  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Within  the  works  was  enacted  a  scene  which  at  least 
Robert  Endy,  Jr.,  had  never  before  witnessed.  Instead 
of  taking  up  their  dinner  pails  and  running  for  their  favor- 
ite seats,  as  usual,  to  eat  the  meal  in  company  with  those 
whom  they  each  selected  to  talk  to,  at  the  sound  of  the 
whistle  every  man  dropped  his  work — the  fires  in  the 
forges  and  furnaces  were  drawn — everything  possible  was 
done  to  prevent  loss  to  the  company,  and  No.  1003  who 
had  been  appointed  to  take  the  place  of  MacDonald  (and 
who  was  therefore  selected  by  the  Union  to  do  the  work) 
stepped  up  to  Mr.  Endy,  who  said  sharply,  "What  does  this 
mean,  1003?" 

"Mr.  Black,  Sir,  if  you  please,"  said  the  man  he  had 
addressed — as  with  a  motion  of  disgust  he  tore  the  brass 
label  from  his  workingman's  cap  and  threw  it  on  the 
ground  (and  the  motion  was  repeated  by  every  man  in 
sight) — "Mr.  Black,  Sir,  reports  that  the  strike  ordered 
by  the  United  Brotherhood  of  American  Workingmen  to 
be  started  in  these  works  at  noon  today  is  now  in  opera- 
tion. These  badges  will  never  be  worn  by  any  American 
Workingman  after  today." 

And  the  men,  at  his  words,  gave  a  great  cheer  and 
marched  out  of  the  works. 

As  they  left  the  graveyard  Arndt  turned  towards  the 
road  which  led  to  the  house  where  Nettie  lay;  but  Mr. 
Endy  said,  "I  would  like  to  have  you  go  home  with  me — 
we  have  much  to  talk  about." 

So  it  happened  that  they  rode  side  by  side  down  the 
street,  and  at  the  moment  they  were  passing  the  gates  of 
the  Company's  works  the  men  came  marching  out — 
quietly  and  orderly, — and  most  of  them  solemnly.  For 
they  realized  that  the  struggle  for  the  recognition  of  their 
manhood,  as  well  as  for  a  just  share  of  the  hours  of  leisure 
and  the  proceeds  of  their  labor,  had1  commenced — prob- 
ably for  the  last  time — and  accordingly  most  of  them 
were  very  quiet.  But  when  they  saw  Arndt,  their  repre- 
sentative, and  Mr.  Endy  riding  side  by  side  and  talking 
familiarly  together  a  wave  of  emotion  swept  over  the 
mass,  and  such  a  shout  as  arose  that  day  has  not  often 
rolled  through  the  blue  vault  above  us  and  reached — let 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  61 

us  hope — to  the  place  where  Eternal  Justice  has  His 
dwelling  place. 

For,  in  that  cry  was  the  note  of  hope — hope  of  ulti- 
mate victory — which  note  has  not  often  been  heard  in  the 
voice  of  an  American  Workingman. 

The  shout  continued  as  they  rode  along — as  each  group 
of  men  at  the  different  gates  caught  the  meaning  of  the 
cry, — until  at  last  Mr.  Endy  said  to  the  driver,  "John,  turn 
into  the  grounds  at  the  nearest  gateway."  But  the  sound 
of  the  shouting  followed  them  even  there  as  they  passed 
along  the  pleasant  drives  which  led  in  great  curves — 
bounded  on  each  side  by  magnificent  trees — until  they 
reached  the  mansion. 

Then  as  they  stepped  out  of  the  carriage,  Mr.  Endy 
said,  "We  will  go  into  the  office — if  you  please,  Sir!*'  and 
Arndt  drew  back  as  if  he  had  been  struck;  but  he  only 
replied,  "As  you  please,  Sir." 

"Now,  Mr.  Arndt,"  said  his  host,  when  they  were 
seated,  "I  thought  you  understood,  perfectly,  that  I  was 
not  to  appear  openly  in  this  matter." 

Arndt,  who  was  about  to  make  a  hasty,  and  rather 
hot,  reply,  checked  himself  as  he  thought  what  this  man's 
support  meant  to  the  cause;  and  the  control  which  he 
exercised  over  himself  at  this  moment  was  the  greatest 
victory  he  ever  achieved  in  his  life.  He  quietly  replied. 
"Mr.  Endy,  the  men  whom  you  propose  to  aid  are  neither 
fools  nor  are  they  lacking  in  gratitude  towards  their 
friends.  I  have  not  intimated,  even  to  my  sister,  that 
you  even  approve  of  our  cause;  but  if  your  feeling  of 
brotherhood  causes  you  to  heartily  shake  hands  with  me 
in  broad  daylight,  and  the  next  day  leads  you  to  ask  me 
to  ride  home  by  your  side — you  must  not  forget  that  I 
am  the  man  whom  your  son  discharged  from  the  works, 
nor  that  I  have  the  honor  to  represent  these  men. 

"Last  night — in  a  speech  at  the  Union — I,  in'order  to 
strengthen  some  of  the  weak-kneed  brethren  who  thought 
that  it  was  useless  to  continue  any  resistance  against  the 
money  power,  said  I  was  sure  that  there  were  many  among 
the  rich — especially  among  the  older  ones — who  were 
already  alarmed  at  the  way  in  which  the  young  men  who 
are  now  running  things  were  managing  business,  and  that 


62  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

I  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  order  numbering  the 
men  was  obnoxious  to  every  lover  of  mankind — be  he  rich 
or  poor.  So,  when  the  men  saw  us  together  today  they 
put  two  and  two  in  the  shape  of  an  addition  sum — and  in  a 
mechanic's  mind  they  sometimes  give  an  answer  of  four. 

"I  am  sorry  you  have  doubted  me.  There  are  other 
men  whom  you  cannot  doubt  as  being  entirely  honest  and 
wholly  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  working  class — I  would 
like  to  call  it  the  cause  of  humanity,  which  it  really  is. 
There  is  John  Black,  the  man  who  was  chosen  to  inau- 
gurate the  strike  today.  I  will  get  him  to  call  on  you.  He 
is  a  more  able  man  than  I,  and  in  closer  touch  with  the 
members  of  the  Union.  I  am  too  conservative  for  many  of 
them.     I  will  now  say  Good-bye  to  you." 

But  his  hearer  stopped  him  and  signed  to  him  to  keep 
his  seat,  and  after  a  moment  said,  quietly,  "You  are  the 
man  I  want.  I  am  sorry  for  my  suspicion  of  you ;  but  you 
must  realize  that  those  shouts  mean — probably — an  open 
rupture  with  my  only  son. 

"It  is  true  he  has  treated  me  with  ill  concealed  con- 
tempt— on  business  matters,  lately — as  one  whose  opinions 
were  not  worthy  of  consideration;  but,  still,  he  is  my  son. 
Well,  the  step  is  taken,  and  probably  it  is  for  the  best. 
I  am  now  able  to  work  openly  in  trying  to  enlist  to  our 
cause  some  men  who,  I  believe,  still  love  liberty  so  well  as 
to  be  willing  to  have  other  men  express  their  own  opinions 
without  danger  of  losing  their  jobs — and  who  have  man- 
hood enough  left  to  be  willing  to  call  a  halt,  even  on  their 
own  sons. 

"Now,  tell  me  all  about  the  strike  up  to  the  present 
moment." 

Then  Arndt  grasped  the  hand  that  was  extended  to 
him  and  took  his  seat  again;  and  in  the  long  struggle 
which  followed,  these  two  men  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
and  there  was  never,  thereafter,  the  slightest  misunder- 
standing between  them. 

"Well,"  said  Arndt,  "the  workingmen  have  been  taking 
lessons  for  a  number  of  years,  and  I'll  say  right  here  that 
the  first  thing  they  had  to  learn  was  to  stop  the  oppressions 
of  the  labor  organizations  themselves.  There  was  a  time 
when  they  first  started  when  there  was  very  little  choice 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  63 

between  the  tyranny  of  the  rich  and  the  despotism  of  the 
Unions.  1  suppose  it  was  the  unavoidable  result  of  the 
first  realization  of  their  power;  but  the  effect  was  that  the 
best  men  wouldn't  go  into  the  organization  only  to  be 
ordered  about  by  demagogues.  Moreover,  men  who  really 
took  pride  in  doing  their  work  as  well  as  possible  con- 
stantly complained  that  those  who  were  members  of  the 
Unions  seemed  to  care  for  nothing  but  their  wage  and  the 
quality  of  their  work  fell  off  if  they  were  not  constantly 
watched — and  so  they  remained  out.  Well,  you  know  we 
had  to  teach  those  honest  souls  that  under  the  present  sys- 
tem if  they  did  two  day's  work  in  one  and  for  one  day's 
pay  they  were  simply  taking  the  bread  out  of  some  man's 
mouth,  and  the  inherent  love  of  turning  out  the  best  that 
is  in  us  soon  corrected  the  other  abuse.  So  we  have 
changed  all  that,  and  as  a  consequence  there  are  very  few 
skilled  workers  in  the  country  at  this  moment  who  are  not 
also  active  members  of  the  Unions. 

"Another  thing  they  learned  was  that  it  was  worse  than 
folly  to  notify  the  company  of  their  intention  to  strike.  So 
we  appeared  to  be  satisfied  when  they  raised  our  wages 
instead  of  granting  our  request  to  abolish  the  order  about 
numbering  the  men;  and  all  our  members  resolved  to  save 
every  dollar  that  was  possible,  out  of  the  increase. 

"The  decision  to  leave  the  whole  question  of  a  strike 
to  a  committee  of  three  was  unanimously  agreed  to,  or  at 
least  it  was  made  unanimous  after  the  first  vote  on  the  sub- 
ject submitted  to  the  branches  by  the  main  strike  com- 
mittee some  time  ago.  We  are  only  a  sub-committee,  in 
reality;  and  we  were  thus  empowered  to  act  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  strike  was  really  determined  upon  when  the 
order  for  numbering  the  men  went  into  effect.  It  was 
only  the  time  for  commencing  the  strike  that  was  actually 
left  to  us.  I,  for  one,  would  never  have  shouldered  the 
responsibility  for  the  main  decision.  The  result  of  their 
wise  action  is  that  not  a  man  except  Black  knew  positively, 
this  morning,  that  the  strike  had  been  ordered — or  when  it 
was  to  start.  For  the  main  strike  committee  determined 
the  first,  and  we  determined  the  last — and  all  was  done  in 
secret  session.  We  had  to  take  lessons  of  the  millionaires 
who  do  not  have  representatives  of  the  Press  at  all  their 


64  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

meetings.  So  the  word  was  quietly  passed,  and  cypher  mes- 
sages sent  to  the  other  points,  after  eleven  o'clock. 

"This  was  done,  for  one  reason,  in  order  to  not  give  the 
company  time  for  getting  out  injunctions  against  us  on  the 
plea  of  public  necessity.  They  have  got  the  injunction 
business  down  so  fine  that  the  last  time  the  employes  of 
the  cattle  yards  in  Chicago  attempted  to  strike  they  were 
threatened  with  imprisonment  on  the  ground  that  the  carry- 
ing on  of  their  business  is  a  public  necessity;  and  on  the 
same  plea  the  miners  were  actually  driven  back  to  work  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet  when  they  defied  the  injunction 
granted  by  the  federal  judges.  We  are  deathly  tired  of  the 
government  by  injunction! 

"Moreover,  we  notice  that  the  Company  can  close  down 
for  as  long  as  it  pleases  at  any  time  and  no  injunction  can 
be  gotten  to  compel  it  to  carry  on  business  or  furnish  us 
work." 

"I  am  glad  that  we  were  able  to  head  that  off,"  said  Mr. 
Endy.  "It  has  been  a  disgrace  to  the  country  ever  since 
the  first  injunction  was  issued  and  upheld  by  the  highest 
court.  But,  in  any  event,  they  would  find  their  hands  full 
if  they  attempted  to  imprison  the  thirty  thousand  men  who 
went  out  in  this  strike  at  noon  today." 

"Yes,"  said  Arndt,  "our  plans  have  worked  out  well, 
and  Mr.  Craggie  may  even  now  not  expect  that  his  works 
will  be  completely  tied  up — as  they  certainly  will  be  tomor- 
row morning.  For,  though  almost  all  the  telegraph  opera- 
tors are  members  of  the  Union,  he  has  always  heretofore 
managed  to  have  a  non-Union  man  on  at  some  point  or 
other,  and  so  our  messages  have  been  betrayed.  This  time 
there  will  be  no  messages — it  being  fully  understood  by  the 
leaders  all  over  the  country  that  the  strike  is  to  be  general 
in  whatever  industry  it  is  first  started.  You  will  under- 
stand, therefore,  that  our  blow  today  is  the  first  one  that 
has  ever  been  struck  without  our  opponent  being  fully 
informed  and,  consequently,  prepared  for  it." 

"Yes,  yes!"  said  Mr.  Endy,  "all  is  going  well,  and  I 
don't  think  they  will  even  try  to  imprison  any  of  the 
leaders,  this  time.  The  last  time  that  was  tried,  so  many  of 
the  middle  class  asked  themselves  the  question,  'How  soon 
will  it  be  my  turn?'  that  even  the  courts  were  alarmed  at 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  65 

the  outcry;  and  when  they  tried  to  restrain  the  Press  by 
instituting  suits  for  slander  against  the  editors  of  every 
paper  which  mentioned  a  single  judge's  name  in  their 
denunciations  of  the  rulings  of  the  courts  in  those  cases, 
the  whole  Press  of  the  country  became  alarmed  for  their 
liberty  of  speech,  and  the  cases  were  quietly  dropped — as 
you  are  very  well  aware." 

Arndt  replied,  "It  is  a  burning  shame  that  things  are  in 
such  a  state;  but  we  have  gained  much  in  the  years  that 
have  passed,  and  by  the  very  defeats  we  have  suffered. 
There  is  only  one  Iron  and  Steel  Company  in  the  United 
States  today.  The  result  is  that  there  will  be  no  iron  or 
steel  manufactured  in  this  country  until  this  strike  is  ended. 
It  is  our  intention  that  the  other  trades  shall  go  on  work- 
ing as  long  as  possible  in  order  to  provide  the  sinews  of 
war;  but,  if  necessary,  we  are  prepared  and  determined  to 
close  down  everything  in  the  United  States.  We  have 
faithfully  tried  patience,  arbitration,  the  ballot;  now  we 
will  try  this." 

"What  is  the  temper  of  the  men  in  regard  to  making 
this  a  test  of  passive  resistance?" 

"Fine!  Could  not  be  better!"  asserted  Arndt.  "We 
owe  much  to  our  Socialist  friends  for  having  instilled  into 
the  minds  of  the  workers  that  their  present  condition  is 
directly  traceable  to  war,  and  that  the  military  power  is 
their  worst  enemy.  They  realize  that  to  win  by  force  of 
arms  would  be  only  to  throw  themselves  into  the  arms  of  a 
new  set  of  masters  and  tyrants;  and  I  can  assure  you  that 
it  will  be  a  test  of  passive  resistance — such  as  the  world  has 
never  yet  seen — //  we  can  keep  it  there. 

"You  will  observe  that  I  place  great  stress  on  those  last 
words — especially  on  the  'We.'  But  we  must  not  forget 
that  there  is  Mr.  Craggie  on  the  one  hand " 

Arndt  hesitated,  and  his  hearer  reverently  added,  "And 
the  Almighty  Power  that  rules  the  hearts  and  destinies  of 
men  and  nations,  on  the  other.  No,  no!  we  must  not  for- 
get that." 

"Well,"  said  Arndt.  "We  have  instructed  the  men  to 
bear  everything  rather  than  give  the  slightest  aid  to  the 
company  in  its  usual  cry  of  destruction  of  property.  There 
are  not  enough  iron  and  steel  workers  today,  that  is,  com- 


66  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

petent  men,  outside  of  our  Union  to  run  a  single  shop  if 
they  could  all  be  gotten  together — so  there  will  be  abso- 
lutely no  cause  for  any  intimidation  of  any  man  who  is  so 
lost  to  all  spirit  of  fraternity  as  to  wish  to  go  to  work  in 
our  place. 

"Our  men  have  been  instructed  to  promptly  answer  the 
call  of  the  sheriff  for  deputies;  and  to  fire  to  kill  at  any  man 
found  destroying  property.  We  are  going  to  keep  the 
tramps  and  thieves  and  hoodlums  down — if  the  government 
won't.  But,  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  we  are  all 
well  drilled.  Although  we  opposed  Craggie's  law  compell- 
ing us  all  to  undergo  military  service,  still  we  had  to  sub- 
mit, and  so  the  states  have  furnished  the  drilling,  and  we 
can  arm  ourselves.  But  we  propose  to  obey  all  orders  so 
long  as  we  are  fighting  against  the  hoodlums  or  disobedient 
members  of  our  own  body  who  are  found  destroying  prop- 
erty or  lives.  If  an  attempt  is  made  to  force  the  workers — 
by  injunction  or  by  any  other  trick,  to  start  these  works  or 
to  fire  on  peaceful,  law-abiding  workers — Well!  we  will  see 
about  that  when  the  time  comes;  but  I  tell  you  plainly,  I 
will  die  rather  than  obey  such  orders." 

"But  Craggie  can  rely  on  the  standing  army!"  said  Mr. 
Endy. 

"Perhaps  he  can,"  Arndt  said  smilingly,  "but  the  stand- 
ing army  of  these  days  is  not  the  unthinking  machine  of 
former  times.  The  enlisted  man  has  almost  without  excep- 
tion come  out  of  the  ranks  of  the  workers.  His  friends  and 
relatives  are  all  of  them  standing  in  our  ranks.  Craggie 
will  find  it  one  thing  to  order  them  to  shoot  a  lot  of  naked, 
half-civilized  barbarians  or  even  citizens  of  a  foreign  nation, 
and  quite  another  to  make  them  obey  such  an  order  against 
us.  Moreover,  even  though  the  government  did  succeed 
in  getting  the  regular  army  raised  to  two  hundred  thou- 
sand men — against  the  protest  of  the  peace  people — they 
are  nearly  all  so  busily  employed  in  keeping  down  our  out- 
lying and  unwilling  fellow  subjects  that  they  haven't  as 
many  soldiers  at  home  today  as  they  had  before  the 
increase. 

"We  have  a  cause,  this  time,  which  should  command 
the  respect  and  support  of  every  lover  of  liberty;  and  for 
the  rest  we  do  not  care. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  67 

"We  are  going  to  avoid  the  mistakes  of  the  past.  In 
other  words,  some  of  us  have  learned  that  in  demanding 
liberty  and  freedom  of  speech  for  ourselves,  we  must  not 
deny  it  to  others:  We  stand  utterly  and  unequivocally 
opposed  to  the  whole  system  of  suppression  of  opinion  as 
practiced  by  the  government  postal  department  and  the  gag 
law  it  enforces  in  the  army  by  which  man  must  either  have 
no  opinion  or  not  express  it." 

Turning  to  Mr.  Endy  he  asked,  "Is  there  anything  else 
that  I  can  tell  you:  you  see  I  have  opened  my  whole  heart 
to  you." 

"Resources,"  said  his  hearer,  who  had  been  listening 
eagerly  to  every  word. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Arndt  quickly.  "Our  resources.  I 
omitted  that  purposely.  Only  the  committee  of  finance 
know  that,  exactly.  We  have  had  no  large  strike  for  many 
years.  The  futility  of  these  local  strikes  was  demonstrated 
in  the  anthracite  coal  strike  some  years  ago,  which  ended 
ultimately  in  nothing  permanently  gained  for  the  strikers; 
and  since  then  the  men  have  had  to  digest  their  wrongs 
as  best  they  could.  At  least,  they  did  not  strike  with  our 
consent.  We  have  been  accumulating  funds — and  military 
instruction.  Yes,  I  know  it  is  a  great  trust  and  a  greater 
responsibility;  but  the  money  has  been  carefully  invested 
and  has  accumulated  fast,  as  we  have  placed  it  wisely — 
some  of  it  in  Standard  Oil  stock — and  as  for  the  commit- 
tee? Well,  Mr.  Endy,  since  I  have  found  one  rich  man 
who  loves  his  country  and  his  fellowman  and  who  proposes 
to  do  for  us  what  you  are  going  to,  you  need  not  doubt 
that  we  found  enough  honest,  conscientious,  capable,  thor- 
oughly disinterested  men  among  ourselves  to  form  a 
finance  committee  of  fifteen.  I  am  not  on  it.  Black  is. 
And  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  in  the  patriotism  and 
honesty  of  every  member  of  the  body. 

"But  we  realize  that  the  support  which  the  very  fact 
that  you  are  with  and  for  us  will  give  us,  will  be  worth 
more  than  the  money  in  the  treasury — no  matter  how  much 
that  may  be.  You  had  an  evidence  this  morning  of  how 
the  men  appreciated  that." 

But  at  this  point  they  were  interrupted  by  Rollins  who 
announced  dinner. 


68  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Arndt  was  astonished  to  find  how  the  time  had  slipped 
away,  and  he  started  to  leave  at  once.  But  Mr.  Endy 
insisted  on  his  remaining  with  him.  "For,"  said  he,  "I 
expect  that  it  will  happen  often  in  the  coming  days,  and 
you  may  as  well  begin  now.  You  know,"  he  sadly 
remarked,  "there  are  no  women  in  this  house  except  the 
servants.  Money  can  do  many  things;  but  it  cannot  stay 
the  hand  of  the  destroyer  when  one's  time  is  come;  and 
money  has  failed  to  have  any  power  over  me  since  the  days 
when  my  wife  and  daughter  followed  each  other  to  the 
grave,  ten  years  ago.  I  had  Robert  left  then;  but  he  is 
so  engrossed  in  business  these  last  years,  and  occupies  his 
rooms  in  the  city  so  much,  that  I  sometimes  stop  and  try 
to  realize  that  I  have  a  son." 

And  so  Arndt's  heart  was  filled  with  pity  for  the  old 
man. 

In  the  dining  room  they  found  Robert  pacing  rest- 
lessly up  and  down ;  but  as  they  entered  the  large,  light  and 
beautiful  room  he  came  to  a  sudden  stop  in  his  walk  and 
faced  them. 

His  father  said,  "You  need  no  introduction  to  Mr. 
Arndt,  I  think?" 

"Certainly  not!"  his  son  replied,  "How  do  you  do,  Sir." 

Arndt  replied  courteously  and  the  three  seated  them- 
selves; and  then  the  elder  man  said  to  Rollins,  "We  will 
help  ourselves,  Rollins,"  and  so  they  were  left  alone.  Never- 
theless, the  meal  was  eaten  almost  in  silence,  and  when  they 
arose  Robert  said  to  his  father,  "I  would  like  to  speak  to 
you,  Sir,  and,  if  you  have  no  objection,  I  would  like  Mr. 
Arndt  to  hear  what  I  have  to  say." 

"Very  good!"  replied  his  father,  "that  will  suit  me, 
exactly." 

But  Arndt  begged  to  be  excused,  saying  that  he  had  no 
wish  to  know  anything  about  their  private  affairs. 

Robert  here  lost  control  of  himself,  and  he  said,  bitterly, 
"I  know  nothing  about  your  wish,  Sir.  I  only  know  that 
you  are  already  in  our  private  affairs;  and  I  propose  to 
inform  you  exactly  about  them." 

"Hush,  Sir!"  said  his  father — for  Rollins  was  entering 
the  room.  "Gentlemen,  we  will  go  to  the  library,  if  you 
please.     Rollins,  say  to  all  callers  that  we  are  engaged." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  69 

Without  another  word  they  proceeded  to  that  room  and 
as  soon  as  they  were  seated  he  said,  "Now,  Robert,  say 
your  say;  but  please  remember  that  I  am  your  father'' 
1  hen,  lighting  a  cigar  himself,  he  passed  the  box  to  Arndt 
and  to  Robert— each  of  whom  accepted;  and  so  they  sat 
smoking  around  the  open  fire  place,  while  in  the  back  of 

sweetl°°m   a  6   mUSiC   b°X   rUn   by   eIectricity   Played 

Young  Robert  arose  impatiently  and  stopped  the 
works;  and  as  the  sharp  click  of  the  spring  was  heard  the 
music  suddenly  ceased  and  he  commenced  his  talk  as  if  he 
had  only  been  interrupted— but  this  time  he  stood  beside 
the  fireplace  facing  both  men. 

Arndt— who  could  see  the  face  of  both  father  and  son— 
quietly  smoked  on;  but  he  said  to  himself:  "When  Greek 
meets  Greek,  then  comes  the  tug  of  war  " 

Robert  said  emphatically,  "I  think  that  it  is  you  who 
forget— and  forget  that  you  are  my  father— or  you  would 
never  have  made  the  will  you  executed  yesterday  " 

At  the  word  "Will"  his  father  straightened  himself  in 
his  chair  and  said  sharply.  "So!  It  is  as  I  expected.  Some 
young  man  in  Johnson's  office  finds  it  to  his  advantage  to 
tell  you  about  my  doings  there.  And  I  expect  that  I  can 
save  myself  the  trouble  of  telling  you  about  my  operations 
with  my  broker,  also." 

"Precisely  so!"  said  his  son.  "A  successful  business 
man must .know  what  even  his  own  father  is  doing  " 

'Well,     was  the  reply,  "I  think  that  I  was  generous 
enough  in  that  will  to  prove  my  affection  for  vou       You 
have  a  fortune  of  your  own  from  your  mother;    I  hesitated 
yesterday,  to  leave  you  even  so  much  as  I  did;  for  I  do  not 
approve  of  the  way  you  are  using  what  you  already  have 

~nS  i  ^Vt  ?ften  tolcI  y°u-  Now-  if  you  do  not  like  the 
will  which  I  have  made,  I  can  easily  change  it;  and  as  for 
your  knowing  about  it,  I  will  say  that  I  do  not  like  the  way 
in  which  you  get  your  information— it  would  be  more 
straightforward  and  manly  to  come  direct  to  me  I  have 
nothing  to  conceal— and,  today,  I  have  especial  cause  to 
have  no  objection  to  your  knowing  everv  word  of  it 
Indeed,  I  intended  to  tell  you  of  it  and  of  my  plans  for  the 
future  as  soon  as  I  had  finished  talking  to  Mr.  Arndt     For 


70  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

since  the  recent  occurrence,  it  will  be  better  for  all  of  us  to 
understand  exactly  where  we  are  and  what  confronts  us." 

"You  refer  to  the  ovation  which  the  men  gave  to  Mr. 
Arndt  and  yourself,"  said  his  son  sarcastically. 

"Precisely  so!"  said  his  father,  "and  the  sound  of  their 
hearty  cheers  for  Robert  Endy  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
your  father.  But  I  referred  to  the  death  of  my  closest 
friend  at  your  hands,  as  well." 

Robert  started  towards  Arndt,  crying,  "What  infamous 
lies  have  you  been  telling  my  father,  Sir?  What  had  I  to 
do  with  the  death  of  Angus  MacDonald?  Was  I  his 
keeper?" 

"That  is  an  old  question,"  said  the  white-haired  man, 
"and  as  you  have  decided  it  in  the  negative  we  will  get 
down  to  business.  Now,  the  will  I  made,  stands — unless 
you  think  I  had  better  make  another  one  giving  you  only 
half  as  much.  But  I  shall  add  a  codicil  to  that  will  tomor- 
row, in  which  I  shall  cut  down  what  I  have  left  you  three- 
quarters  in  the  event  that  I  die  before  this  strike  is  ended 
— or  in  the  event  that  the  men  are  defeated.  You  need  not 
look  at  me  in  astonishment.  I  am  still  a  good  business 
man  (although  you  have  so  long  considered  me  a  'back 
number,'  and  have  so  spoken  of  me). 

"If  I  had  no  other  charge  to  make  against  the  miserable 
system  which  you  call  'business,'  the  one  charge  I  would 
make  is  that  it  has  cost  me  the  love  and  respect  of  my  only 
son — and  that,  today,  I  do  not  know  but  that  my  early 
death  would  be  welcome  to  you." 

Here  the  old  man's  feelings  overcame  him  and  his  son 
was  moved  by  the  sight  of  his  distressed  face  to  exclaim, 
"Never  that,  Sir,  never!    You  do  me  injustice  there." 

"Well,"  said  his  father,  more  calmly,  "I  am  thankful  for 
even  so  much.  But  you  brought  it  on  yourself;  for  you 
refused  to  spare  MacDonald  at  my  request." 

"That,"  said  Robert,  "was  a  business  necessity." 
But  the  old  man  (who  was  an  elder  in  the  church),  cried 
out  sharply: 

"To  the  devil  with  such  business!" 

"Amen!"  said  Arndt. 

The  others  seemed  to  have  forgotten  his  presence — he 
sat  smoking  so  quietly — but  his  words  recalled  his  enemy 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  71 

to  what  he  had  wanted  to  say  to  him  and  he  remarked 
sarcastically,  "That  is  usually  the  opinion  of  men  whom  the 
company  has  found  incompetent  or  insubordinate — and  has, 
consequently,  discharged." 

He  paused,  but  Arndt  made  no  motion  to  reply  and 
calmly  lit  another  cigar  which  the  old  man  passed  to  him 
when  he  threw  the  remains  of  the  first  one  into  the  grate. 
So  Robert  continued,  "I  will  say  to  you  in  my  father's 
presence  that  I  don't  know  how  you  have  managed  to  twist 
yourself  into  his  confidence — probably  under  the  self-delu- 
sion that  you  are  disinterestedly  working  for  the  Union, 
but,  be  that  as  it  may,  I  wish  to  express  my  dislike  of  the 
intimacy,  and  my  intention  to  break  it  up.  You  are  not 
the  first  young  man  who  has  exercised  undue  influence 
upon  an  old  gentleman,  and  I  can  have  you  quietly  disposed 
of.  We  don't  imprison  labor  leaders  because  of  their  occu- 
pation. Some,  we  can  buy — and  that's  the  easiest  and 
cheapest  way;  but  some  are  obstinate  and  have  to  go  to 
jail — and  the  corporation  lawyers  never  yet  had  any  trouble 
in  finding  a  charge  good  enough  to  answer  the  purpose — 
no  matter  how  honest  the  judge  might  be.  So,  the  old 
days  and  their  methods  are  past  and  gone.  You  were  a 
little  too  smart  for  the  company  in  this  strike,  therefore  I 
must  now  ask  you  to  give  me  your  word  to  have  it  ended 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  to  never  speak  to  my  father  again 
— and  then  I  will  stop  the  wheels  I  have  already  put  in 
motion." 

"Is  that  all  you  require?"  Arndt  asked  calmly. 

"I  think  it  sufficient,  Sir,"  Robert  replied  haughtily. 
"Why  do  you  ask?" 

"Oh,  I  thought  you  might  like  to  add  to  it  something 
that  is  possible,"  said  Arndt.  "This  is  a  righteous  strike, 
and  while  I  was  empowered  to  have  a  voice  in  starting 

Robert  interrupted  savagely,  "Righteous!  What  bosh 
and  nonsense!  Why  don't  you  talk  language  that  a  busi- 
ness man  can  understand.  Is  it  going  to  pay  either  you  or 
the  public  or  the  company?  If  not,  that  settles  it.  I  tell 
you  this  strike  will  go  down  in  history  as  the  most  illogical 
one  that  ever  was." 

"How  so?"  said  his  father. 


72  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"Would  you  have  been  numbered  and  worn  a  brass 
tag?"  asked  Arndt,  quietly. 

"Never!"  said  Robert  emphatically;  "but  I " 

Arndt  laughed. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Sir?"  demanded  Robert. 

Arndt  met  his  angry  glance  squarely  and  remarked, 
"And  yet  there  are  some  who  deny  the  existence  of  Class 
in  America." 

"You  never  heard  me  deny  it,"  Robert  asserted;  "but 
that  is  beside  the  question.  I  would  never  answer  to  any- 
thing but  my  name;  but  you  and  the  others,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  thirty-two  who  utterly  and  unequivocally 
refused,  and  who  were  discharged  and  blacklisted  as  a  con- 
sequence, did;  it  would  seem  that  you  might  have  got  used 
to  what  you  call  your  degradation  by  this  time.  I  say  that 
the  strike  is  illogical,  and  I  can  prove  my  assertion.  You 
did  not  strike  when  Carter,  one  of  the  thirty-two,  com- 
mitted suicide  because  he  could  not  obtain  work;  and  I 
doubt  whether  you  know  at  this  moment  what  became  of 
the  thirty-one.  They  are  certainly  not  working  in  any  of 
the  Company's  plants  this  day.  Yet  you  pass  all  that  by; 
and  because  a  man  of  over  sixty  years  of  age — who  should 
have  been  retired  years  ago,  and  who  has  a  sufficiency  for 
his  old  age — takes  his  dismissal  to  heart  and  dies,  you  up 
and  strike." 

"You  insinuate  that  I  let  my  personal  feelings  and  per- 
sonal affairs  influence  my  vote,  do  you?"  Arndt  asked  with 
a  little  heat. 

"I  do  more  than  insinuate,  I  charge  you  with  it,"  Robert 
replied  emphatically.     "And,  moreover " 

His  father  interrupted  him.  "You  can  retract  both  the 
insinuation  and  the  charge,  Sir.  /  am  the  man  who  said 
that  this  strike  should  be,  and  be  now.     I,  and  I  alone." 

His  son  paid  no  attention  to  the  avowal,  and  continued, 
"while  I  am  truly  grieved  at  the  death  of  my  father's  friend 
and  at  the  illness  of  Miss  Nettie,  I  utterly  fail  to  understand 
why  the  fight  was  made  on  his  case  and  not  on  Carter's  or 
Laird's.  MacDonald,  I  know,  had  a  taking,  hearty  man- 
ner, which  the  others  lacked,  and  was  very  popular  with 
the  men;  but,  surely,  that  is  no  reason  for  striking  at  this 
time," 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  71 

Robert  was  standing  in  such  a  way  that  by  looking  past 
his  father  and  Arndt  he  commanded  a  view  of  the  main 
drive,  and  Arndt  had  noticed  that  from  time  to  time  he 
seemed  to  be  more  interested  in  that  than  in  what  he  was 
saying.  So  he  was  not  surprised  when  Robert  commenced 
to  thresh  the  same  straw  over  again,  asserting,  "There  is 
neither  sense  nor  logic  in  that.  For  the  Company  is  now 
paying  higher  wages  and  for  less  hours " 

"But,  for  more  work  than  ever  before  in  the  world's  his- 
tory," Arndt  interjected  rather  impatiently. 

"Than  ever  before,"  Robert  contemptuously  proceeded. 
"I  will  use  your  words  to  complete  my  statement,  though 
I  emphatically  deny  yours.  I  say  that  I  simply  cannot 
understand " 

Here  his  father  arose  from  his  chair  and  interrupted 
him.  His  voice  quivered  with  emotion  as  he  said,  "You  do 
not  understand!  And  if  you  could,  you  would  not  be  the 
man  you  this  day  are.  But  I  will  tell  you  this:  The 
Power  in  whom  you  do  not  believe,  and  who  despite  your 
disbelief  still  sways  their  hearts  and  governs  men,  makes 
use  continually  of  man's  illogicalness  to  overthrow  the 
wrong.  And  if  you  could  but  see  it,  there  is  logic  of  the 
sternest  kind  in  all  this.  MacDonald's  case  stands  for  the 
primal  right  of  man  to  work,  and  at  that  thing  he  can  do 
best  and  joy  in  doing — which  right  this  cursed  competitive 
system  more  utterly  denies  than  it  does  the  right  to  work 
and  live  by  the  work." 

Arndt  nodded  his  head  emphatically  and  Robert  sneer- 
ingly  said,  "Oh,  I  see;  Socialists,  out  and  out!" 

His  father  sank  back  into  his  chair,  and  Arndt  replied 
quietly,  "Not  yet.  But  I  am  going  to  investigate  their 
position  thoroughly  and  shall  advocate  and  use  it  to  over- 
throw the  present  murderous  system — under  certain  con- 
tingencies. You  cannot  deny  that  the  predictions  of  Marx 
and  the  leading  Socialist  writers  are  being  wonderfully  ful- 
filled today;  and  there  is  nothing  like  a  fulfilled  prophecy 
to  establish  the  truth  either  of  a  system  or  a  creed." 

But  Mr.  Endy  protested. — "No,  No!  I  have  made  a 
thorough  study  of  the  whole  question  and  have  a  complete 
solution  of  it  in  my  modified  plan  of  co-operation  and 
profit-sharing.     I  will  show  it  to  you." 


74  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Robert  laughed  long  and  sarcastically  and  said,  "Yes; 
and  it  will  work  at  precisely  the  same  moment  that  the 
other  ideal  system  works;  namely,  when  you  change  man's 
nature,  or  make  something  but  a  being  who  is  a  survival 
of  the  struggle  for  existence,  instead  of  him." 

After  a  moment  Arndt  said  heartily  to  Mr.  Endy,  "I 
hope  to  God  that  you  are  right  and  have  succeeded — I  will 
be  glad  to  go  into  the  matter  thoroughly." 

At  this  moment  Robert  again  glanced  from  Arndt  to 
the  window,  and  Arndt  saw  that  his  face  brightened  at 
once,  and  he  said  airily,  "Oh,  well,  there  is  no  use  wasting 
any  more  time  in  discussion.  I  gave  you  my  ultimatum 
some  time  ago;  and  I  will  grant  my  father  and  you,  say 
half  an  hour,  to  think  it  over.  I  don't  imagine  that  you 
will  leave  the  house  before  my  return,  as  I  see  the  officer 
who  lias  a  warrant  for  your  arrest — on  the  charge  I  men- 
tioned— standing  at  the  door." 

His  hearers  made  no  reply,  although  he  waited  for  one, 
and  he  said,  "Good-bye,  Gentlemen;  I  look  for  a  com- 
pliance with  my  request." 

And  he  laughed  as  he  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"The  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men " 

— By  One  who  knew. 

Neither  of  the  men  remaining  in  the  room  appeared  to 
be  in  the  least  disturbed  by  Robert's  threats,  but  went  on 
smoking;  and  finally,  the  elder  man  said,  "Now,  I  think  that 
you  can  understand  why,  I,  who  have  been  so  bitterly 
opposed  to  strikes  and  all  warfare  in  every  shape  and 
form,  should  consent  to  aid  you  at  this  time." 

Arndt  looked  inquiringly  at  him  and  he  continued: 
"It  seems  to  me  to  be  simply  a  choice  of  evils;  for  I  am 
certain  that  unless  some  one  with  a  very  cool  head  and 
whose  heart  is  full  of  the  love  of  the  race  intervenes,  this 
struggle  will  not  end  without  the  most  dreadful  civil  war 
the  world  has  ever  seen." 

"My  idea  exactly,"  said  Arndt,  "only  it  will  not  be  con- 
fined to  this  country;  for  the  workingmen  of  the  world  have 
looked  to  America  as  the  last  chance  for  them  to  obtain 
justice,  and  they  will  help  us  rather  than  have  their  only 
asylum  destroyed." 

"Worse  and  worse,"  sighed  Mr.  Endy.  "We  must  pre- 
vent the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  at  all  hazards.  Now 
these  young  men  who  are  running  things,  and  who  are 
responsible  for  all  this  trouble,  seem  to  think  they  have  all 
the  foresight  there  is  in  the  market.  I  wish  that  Robert 
had  remained  with  us  and  kept  on  talking.  He  talks  too 
much  for  the  good  of  his  cause,  and  entirely  too  often." 

Arndt  smiled,  but  immediatelv  looked  very  serious;  and 
after  a  few  moments — during  which  the  old  man  scanned 
him  narrowly  as  he  paced  nervously  up  and  down  the  room 
— he  said,  as  he  paused  in  front  of  his  friend,  "Don't  you 
think  we  might  spare  him  the  publicity  which  is  sure  to 
follow?  He  is  your  own  son;  think  of  your  own  feel- 
ings." 

75 


76  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Mr.  Endy  took  the  young  man's  hand  and  said,  "Thank 
you,  my  boy,  thank  you  for  that  thought;  but,  as  you  see, 
he  has  forgotten  that  he  is  my  son — and  for  the  time  I 
must  forget  it.  The  warrant  he  has  sworn  out  says  that 
you  are  a  swindler  and  implies  that  I  am  out  of  my  mind, 
and  this  is  only  the  first  step  towards  declaring  the  will 
which  I  made  in  favor  of  the  cause,  null  and  void  on 
account  of  the  incompetency  of  the  testator. 

"You,  as  a  leader  of  the  workingmen,  have  no  right  to 
let  that  will  be  upset;  and  I,  as  a  sane  man,  am  going  to 
fight  for  an  open  declaration  of  my  sanity.  Besides  all 
this,  you  must  not  let  the  mistake  he  has  made  be  lost  to 
the  cause." 

"That's  what  made  me  hesitate,"  said  Arndt.  "He  has 
played  into  our  hands  beyond  all  expectation,  and  I  know 
that  I  ought  not  to  let  the  chance  slip;  but  I  thought  that 
I  might  make  it  up  by  getting  him  to  go  on  a  foreign  trip 
for  a  while — until  the  strike  is  ended.  President  Craggie 
cannot  afford  to  lose  the  services  of  men  who  profess  the 
principles — in  business  matters — that  Robert  holds.  I 
see,  however,  that  you  are  right;  we  must  take  advantage 
of  every  slip  made  by  our  opponents — though  I  am  sorry 
that  this  one  was  made  by  Robert  and  in  this  way." 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Endy,  "I  am  more  sorry  than  you  can 
be;  but  I  am  not  going  to  be  considered  an  incompetent 
business  man — and  an  imbecile  besides — if  I  can  prevent  it; 
and  the  last  ten  years  of  comparative  idleness  have  been 
spent  largely  among  these  books  where  you  will  find  every 
valuable  suggestion  ever  printed  on  the  labor  question. 

"That  has  been  my  hobby;  and  I  have  lost  caste  among 
my  fellow  millionaires  because  I  so  constantly  insisted  on 
and  spoke  in  favor  of  giving  the  worker  a  fair  share  of  the 
proceeds  of  his  labor.  I  will  allow  that  I  did  not  say  any- 
thing except  among  my  own  class;  for  there,  it  seemed  to 
me,  the  work  needed  to  be  done;  I  feared  that  any  encour- 
agement would  lead  the  men  to  rebellion  against  conditions 
which  I  constantly  hoped  would  change  for  the  better. 

"But  we  will  talk  of  this  when  we  have  more  time. 
Angus  MacDonald  and  I,  as  you  know,  have  spent  many 
an  hour  together  in  this  room  discussing  this  question 
while  you,  I  suppose,  were  at  least  as  pleasantly  employed 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  77 

talking  to  Nettie.  But  now  he  is  gone,  and  we  have  work 
to  do." 

There  was  a  little  silence  and  then  he  roused  himself 
and  said,  very  briskly,  "Enough  of  dreaming!  Please  ring 
the  bell  for  the  stables" — pointing  to  the  switchboard  in  the 
corner  of  the  room.  As  soon  as  the  answering  ring  of  the 
bell  on  the  board  was  heard  Mr.  Endy  spoke  into  a  tele- 
phone receiver  which  stood  on  the  library  table  by  his 
side,  and  told  John  to  bring  the  double  team  and  closed 
carriage  to  the  door  as  soon  as  possible;  and  then  turning 
to  Arndt,  said,  "I  am  sorry  for  it,  but  I  think  that  you  will 
have  to  remain  in  prison  tonight." 

"Of  course,"  was  the  reply.  "If  we  are  going  to  fight 
this  thing  out,  we  could  not  afford  to  let  that  advantage 
slip.  There  is  no  disgrace  in  imprisonment  for  this  cause, 
and  I  am  more  than  willing  to  remain  there  more  than  one 
night,  if  necessary;  but  I  can  tell  you  that  this  would  be  a 
serious  business  if  I  had  not  you  to  fight  for  me.  I  could 
narrate  some  tales  of  what  has  been  done  in  so-called  free 
America — especially  since  the  capitalists  commenced  hold- 
ing secret  sessions  and  sending  out  secret  circular  letters 
— tales  which  would  put  to  the  blush  the  injustice  and 
cruelty  practiced  by  any  monarchical  government  in  Europe 
— Russia  not  excepted." 

"I  know,"  said  his  hearer,  "probably  more  of  those  tales 
than  you  do,  for  I  am  on  the  inside;  and  that  is  one  of  the 
things  that  has  determined  me  to  fight  till  death  the  class 
division  in  America. 

"We  are,  today,  a  republic  only  in  name.  The  ballot 
it  is  true  has  been  left  in  the  hands  of  part  of  the  people  as 
the  easiest  way  to  govern  all ;  but  the  will  of  the  people,  if 
it  cannot  be  made  to  coincide  with  that  of  the  real  rulers 
of  this  country  before  election — and  that  is  often  done, 
through  a  corrupt  press  and  by  other  means — is  deliberately 
set  aside  afterwards;  and  in  ways  the  law  does  not  seem 
able  to  reach  or  prevent.  As  for  getting  redress  by  putting 
another  party  in  power — you  know  what  that  amounts  to. 
The  rich  can  always  make  the  first  years  of  the  new  admin- 
istration disastrous  years,  if  they  have  the  will  to  do  it — 
and  then  the  people  themselves  restore  the  old  party  to 
power  again.      Then  the  reform  legislation — which  never 


78  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

had  any  chance  to  produce  satisfactory  results — is  repealed 
or  becomes  a  dead  letter.  It  never  seems  to  make  any 
difference  to  Mr.  Craggie  and  men  of  his  ilk,  which  party 
is  in  power." 

"You  are  exactly  right,"  said  Arndt.  "I  have  often 
thought  when  I  heard  or  read  the  charge  that  my  Socialist 
friends  are  traitors,  that  the  real  traitors  are  those  who 
deliberately  thus  wreck  the  prosperity  of  the  country  from 
time  to  time.  And  there  have  been  occasions  when  I  have 
seriously  weighed  the  question  as  to  whether  the  slaughter 
and  suffering  thus  entailed  on  the  poor  was  not  in  the  long 
run  worse  in  amount  and  quality  than  that  brought  about 
by  any  actual  outbreak  of  revolution." 

"I  had  not  thought  of  that!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Endy;  "but 
there  is  the  carriage  at  the  door,  and  we  will  now  see 
whether  Robert  has  been  playing  a  bluff  on  us.  No;  we 
will  not  wait  to  speak  to  him.  I  do  not  care  to  say  any- 
thing further  to  him  this  day." 

As  they  passed  Rollins  in  the  hall  Mr.  Endy  gave  him 
instructions — at  a  suggestion  from  Arndt — that  he  should 
go  to  the  house  on  the  river  road  and  see  that  all  was  well 
there;  "and  also,"  said  he,  "Tell  Miss  Annie  that  all  is 
right  with  us,  but  that  we  are  compelled  to  go  to  the  city 
on  business  and  cannot  possibly  return  until  tomorrow. 
And,  Rollins,  you  had  better  remain  with  them  if  there  is 
no  man  in  the  house — and  you  might  as  well  take  some 
things  for  hearty  people  as  well  as  sick  ones  with  you." 

As  they  opened  the  front  door  they  waited  for  the 
gentleman — who  had  been  standing  by  the  carriage  ever 
since  John  drove  up — to  turn  around.  When  he  did  so, 
Mr.  Endy  said  to  Arndt,  "Good!"  Then  addressing  the 
man  as  he  advanced  towards  him  he  said,  "Mr.  Sheriff,  I 
thank  you  for  this;  I  will  not  forget  it." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,  Mr.  Endy,"  was  the  reply,  as  the 
offered  hand  was  cordially  shaken,  "I  thought  I  had  better 
attend  to  this  little  matter  myself — some  of  the  boys  talk 
too  much  to  the  reporters.  Mr.  Arndt," — turning  as  he 
spoke — "I  am  sorry  to  have  to  ask  you  to  consider  your- 
self my  prisoner;  it's  a  formality  I  have  to  go  through  with, 
you  know." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  79 

"Very  good!  Thank  you,  Sir,"  said  Arndt — and  again 
he  smiled. 

"Now,  Mr.  Sheriff,"  said  Mr.  Endy,  "I  hope  that  you 
have  no  objection  to  going  to  the  railroad  in  this  car- 
riage." 

"None  whatever,"  was  the  reply;  "in  fact  I  rather 
expected  to  do  that  very  thing  when  I  saw  it  drive  up  to  the 
door;  and  I  also  expect  that  you  are  going  with  us  to  the 
city,  Mr.  Endy." 

"Well,"  said  the  other,  "I  had  thought  of  doing  so  if 
you  do  not  object  to  traveling  in  my  company." 

The  officer  laughed  heartily  as  he  said:  "Not  likely  is  it, 
Mr.  Endy?  But  I  thought  I  might  as  well  mention  that 
it  will  be  too  late  to  give  bail  tonight,  when  we  get  to  our 
destination — unless  you  have  a  special  train  and  travel  as 
Mr.  Craggie  does." 

"Of  course,  of  course,"  was  the  reply;  "but  let  us  start, 
for  I  see  Robert  coming  towards  the  house." 

After  they  were  outside  the  grounds  he  asked  to  see  the 
warrant;  but  that  document  did  not  give  much  more  infor- 
mation than  Robert  already  had  imparted  andi  the  three 
men  chatted  pleasantly  until  they  reached  the  station.  As 
they  were  about  to  enter  the  parlor  car  the  sheriff,  in  a  low 
tone,  said:  "Mr.  Arndt,  I  believe  I  will  smoke — you  will 
meet  me  at  the  station  in  Clyde,  will  you  not?" 

As  he  spoke  the  last  words  the  two  men  looked  straight 
at  each  other  and  Arndt  said,  "Certainly,  Sir,"  and  the 
sheriff  left  them. 

As  the  train  rolled  along  smoothly  and  swiftly  towards 
Clyde,  Arndt  said,  "I  am  beginning  to  see  and  feel  some  of 
the  direct  advantages  of  being  if  not  rich,  at  least  in  the 
company  of  a  rich  man.  I've  seen  too  many  men  arrested 
by  deputies  and  policemen  not  to  realize  the  difference 
between  this  and  riding  in  the  smoking  car  with  a  uni- 
formed officer  beside  me — and  maybe,  handcuffs  besides." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Endy;  "but  this  is  Jones'  way  of  doing 
business.  He  was  elected  by  popular  vote  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  of  the  ring,  as  you  know;  and,  having  come  up 
from  the  ranks  of  the  policemen  through  all  the  grades, 
is,  for  once,  the  right  man  in  the  right  place." 


80  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Arndt  laughed,  and  after  a  moment  asked,  "Do  you 
know  that  we  have  the  Socialists  to  thank  for  Jones?" 

"Of  course,  of  course!  But  what  could  we  do.  Decent 
citizens  simply  could  not  vote  for  such  undisguised  rascals 
as  the  other  parties  nominated.  A  sheriff  does  not  get  any 
opportunity  to  put  Socialism  in  practice." 

Again  Arndt  laughed.  "Yes,  I  know,"  he  said.  "But 
still  he  is  a  standing  advertisement  of  what  sort  of  men 
are  in  their  ranks — and  his  administration  of  the  office  is 
making  adherents  for  Socialism  daily.  All  the  working- 
men  like  and  swear  by  Jones,  for  his  success  has  not  spoiled 
him;  but  if  it  had  not  been  you  and  your  son  who  are 
involved  in  this  matter,  Mr.  Jones  would  not  have  been 
here." 

"I  had  not  thought  of  that,"  said  Mr.  Endy. 

"Now,"  he  continued,  "we  have  a  little  time  to  arrange 
a  programme.  I  telegraphed  Johnson  to  wait  for  me  at  his 
office,  and  as  soon  as  I  reach  Clyde  I  am  going  there  and 
have  that  codicil  added  to  yesterday's  will  then  and  there. 
Then  I  am  going  to  sever  my  business  relations  with  John- 
son. A  man  who  allows  private  information  and  confiden- 
tial affairs  to  become  public  is  not  running  business  to  my 
satisfaction;  and  also,  he  is  counsel  for  the  Iron  and  Steel 
corporation,  and  will  be  against  us  in  this  fight. 

"Then  I  am  going  to  employ  your  man  Chandler,  who 
is  counsel  for  the  Union,  to  do  my  work  hereafter." 

"Good!"  said  Arndt,  "I  am  certainly  glad  of  that. 
Harry  Chandler  is  as  smart  a  lawyer  as  any  of  them,  and  he 
will  prove  it  if  he  gets  his  chance.  But  his  siding  with  the 
working  class  has  been  against  him  thus  far.  He  hasn't 
had  any  big  cases  yet,  and  the  Union  employs  him  mainly 
because  he  is  an  enthusiast  in  the  cause  of  humanity." 

"I  think  that  he  will  get  his  chance  tomorrow,  or 
maybe,  tonight,"  Mr.  Endy  replied.  "I  am  going  to  see 
him  as  soon  as  I  get  through  with  Mr.  Johnson,  who  I 
think  will  lose  some  more  of  his  millionaire  clients  after 
all  is  told;  for  it  was  his  own  son  who  drew  up  that  will, 
and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  he  at  least  connived  at 
letting  Robert  know  its  contents.  If  I  find  Mr.  Chandler 
I  am  going  to  bring  him  around  to  the  prison  tonight  to 
see  you.     We  have  too  much  to  talk  about  to  wait  until  the 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  81 

morning,  and  I  never  leave  until  tomorrow  what  can  be 
attended  to  today."    - 

"I  am  afraid  you  will  overtax  yourself,"  said  Arndt. 

"Never  fear,  my  boy,"  was  the  reply,  "I  am  all  right! 
These  white  hairs  do  not  count  for  anything.  I  am  as 
sound  as  a  dollar.  I  have  not  rested  ten  years  for  nothing. 
And,  besides,  'a  man  is  immortal  until  his  work  is  done.'  " 

When  the  train  stopped  in  the  depot  at  Clyde  they  met 
the  sheriff  who  saluted  them  as  if  he  were  greeting  them  for 
the  first  time  that  day.  Then  Mr.  Endy  said:  "Excuse  us  a 
moment,  Mr.  Arndt,"  and  he  took  the  arm  of  Jones  and 
walked  aside  a  few  feet.  Then  he  said,  "Mr.  Sheriff,  the 
man  you  have  in  charge  is  going  to  marry  the  daughter  of 
my  old  friend  Angus  MacDonald  whom  we  buried  this 
morning.  He  is,  therefore,  if  for  no  other  reason,  one  of 
my  personal  friends,  and  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  see  that 
he  has  every  alleviation  which  prison  discipline  permits." 

Jones  looked  sharply  at  his  companion  and  said,  "I  can 
easily  keep  him  under  my  own  care,  and  take  him  to  my 
own  home,  for  the  night;  your  word  and  his  would  be  suffi- 
cient for  me." 

"Thank  you,  Sir,  thank  you,"  was  the  reply;  "but  he 
must  go  to  prison.  I  would,  however,  thank  you  for  a 
permit  to  visit  him — together  with  his  counsel." 

"Is  that  all?"  asked  the  sheriff  as  he  handed  his  card 
on  which  he  had  written  the  desired  permission. 

"That  is  all,  I  think,"  hesitatingly.  Then  he  said, 
sharply,  "No,  Sir,  that  is  not  all— not  quite.  I  am  of  too 
much  importance,  today  and  tomorrow,  to  take  any  risks. 
I  have  just  had  an  impression  made  on  my  mind  which  I 
cannot  disregard.  Mr.  Sheriff,  I  want  a  man— one  who 
can  be  depended  upon— to  not  lose  sight  of  me  for  two 
days — and  perhaps  longer." 

"Capital  idea,  that,"  was  the  quiet  reply,  as  he  ran  his 
eye  over  the  throng  of  people  who  were  hurrying  this  way 
and  that  along  the  platform — some  leaving  trains  and 
others  entering,  until  to  an  inexperienced  eye  it  appeared 
impossible  but  that  everybody  must  get  into  the  wrong 
car,  and  that  those  who  were  leaving  the  depot  seemed  to 
be  in  constant  danger  of  instant  death  from  the  baggage 
trucks  which  were  being  pushed  around  among  the  crowd. 


82  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"Good  idea!"  repeated  the  official  to  himself,  "but  I 
don't  see  our  man  here.  Let  us  pass  through  the  depot 
and  along  the  front  of  the  building.  He  was  here  when  I 
left  for   Steelton." 

Then  they  rejoined  Arndt,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had 
been  examining  the  faces  of  the  people  as  they  passed  and 
had  exchanged  greetings  with  several.  To  one  of  these  he 
said  briefly,  "Strike  is  on!  Telegraph  President  of  the 
Union — in  cypher — to  meet  me  as  early  as  possible  tomor- 
row morning  at  the  prison." 

"All  right,"  said  the  man,  who  was  dressed  as  an  engi- 
neer, and  his  eye  swept  over  the  people  until  it  stopped  at 
the  sheriff  and  Mr.  Endy;  and  then  his  face  lit  up  as  he 
repeated  very  emphatically,  "All  right!"  and  he  shook 
hands  with  Arndt  and  went  into  the  telegraph  office. 

As  our  party  passed  through  the  building  the  sheriff 
looked  searchingly  among  the  moving  mass,  but  neither  of 
the  others  saw  him  make  a  signal  to  any  one,  although  Mr. 
Endy  was  on  the  watch  for  something  of  the  kind;  but  as 
they  stopped  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  he  touched  the 
latter  on  his  shoulder  and  when  he  turned  around  he  said, 
"Mr.  Endy,  permit  me  to  introduce  to  you  my  friend  Mr. 
Arthur,  who  will  carry  out  your  wishes;"  and  he  then 
stepped  aside  for  a  moment  and  spoke  to  the  man.  After- 
wards Arndt  and  the  sheriff  entered  a  carriage  and  were 
driven  to  the  prison,  while  Mr.  Endy  and  his  companion 
went  to  Mr.  Johnson's  office. 

Here  Mr.  Endy  carried  out  his  programme  to  the  let- 
ter, never  intimating  the  least  displeasure  until  the  codicil 
was  properly  added,  and  then,  as  the  clerks  who  had  acted 
as  witnesses  withdrew  from  the  room — for  it  was  long  after 
office  hours — he  said  that  he  would  take  the  will  with  him, 
and  as  he  arose  to  go  he  remarked,  "And,  as  I  do  not  like 
to  have  everybody  know  all  about  my  private  affairs,  I 
propose  to  transfer  my  business  to  other  hands.  So,  please, 
Mr.  Johnson,  send  in  the  bill  for  what  I  owe  you  to  date." 

Upon  that  gentleman  professing  astonishment  and 
ignorance  of  what  he  could  possibly  mean,  he  received  a 
very  brief  but  pointed  account  of  what  had  occurred;  and, 
as  he  was  himself  a  rich  man  and  a  corporation  lawyer 
with  a  large  practice,  he  said  only  that  he  regretted  exceed- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  Sj 

ingly  that  anything  private  should  have  leaked  out  oi  his 
office,  and  that  he  would  sift  the  whole  matter  to  the  bot- 
tom; but  he  made  no  effort  to  persuade  his  client  to  change 
his  mind — and  immediately  the  two  men  took  leave  of  each 
other. 

But  Mr.  Johnson  went  to  the  front  window  and  looked 
out,  and  he  said,  "Cranky  sure  enough;"  and  he  raised  his 
eyebrows  and  whistled  softly  to  himself  as  he  saw  who  it 
was  that  had  been  waiting  in  the  outer  office  and  now  fol- 
lowed Mr.  Endy  into  the  carriage. 

"Arthur!  By  the  Eternal!"  he  exclaimed.  "I'd  tele- 
graph that  fact  to  Endy's  son  if  he  hadn't  made  such  a 
fool  of  himself  and  got  me  into  such  a  mess.  Of  course, 
I  suspect  who  told  him.  Endy's  all  wrong!  No  one  in 
this  office  was  bribed  to  give  information — that  was  simply 
a  matter  of  friendship  between  my  son  and  his.  These 
young  fellows  hang  together  just  as  we  old  ones  used  to 
when  we  were  young.  And  I  protested,  plainly,  against 
that  will — but  if  Robert  hasn't  sense  enough  to  hold  his 
tongue  he  will  have  to  fight  his  own  battles  without  aid 
from  me  or  mine." 

And  then  he  turned  away  from  the  window  and  went  to 
seek  an  interview  with  his  son. 

From  Johnson's  office  Mr.  Endy  rode  swiftly  to  that  of 
Chandler,  for  he  was  afraid  that  he  might  find  the  offices 
closed,  as  it  was  now  after  half  past  five.  Fortunately  they 
found  the  lawyer  still  at  his  desk;  and  upon  introducing 
himself  Mr.  Endy  said  briefly:  "I  wish  you  to  take  entire 
charge  of  my  legal  business — and  in  the  first  place,  please 
put  this  will  in  your  safe  for  tonight.  We  have  a  fight  on 
our  hands— first,  to  get  Charles  Arndt  out  of  prison- 
where  he  now  is,  on  the  charge  of  exercising  undue  influ- 
ence and  so  forth  and  so  forth — and  besides,  you  are  going 
to  have  to  prove,  incidentally,  that  I  am  a  sane  man." 

Chandler  had  said  little — he  was  watching  and  studying 
the  old  man— and  he  now  irrelevantly  observed,  "I  think 
we  had  better  have  something  to  eat,  as  we  have  a  long 
night's  work  ahead  of  us." 

"Precisely  so!"  said  Mr.  Endy.  And  to  himself  he 
added,  "They  won't  fluster  him  much  ;  Arndt  knows  a  man 
when  he  sees  one,  and  we  'have  the  rijrht  one  now." 


84  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

At  the  restaurant  Arthur  started  to  drop  away  from  the 
others  and  leave  them  free  to  talk  about  their  business;  but 
Mr.  Endy  said,  "Mr.  Arthur,  please  give  me  the  pleasure 
of  your  company  while  we  eat — when  I  trust  a  man  I  trust 
him  entirely." 

After  they  had  finished  their  meal  they  returned  to  the 
lawyer's  office  and  procured  necessary  books  and  papers 
and  then  drove  to  the  prison  where,  on  presenting  the 
sheriff's  card,  they  were  promptly  admitted  and  were  soon 
busily  engaged  on  the  necessary  legal  documents. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  Chandler  said,  "That  fin- 
ishes it,  I  expect.  There  isn't  an  easier  charge  to  make 
than  undue  influence — unless  it  be  mental  incompetence — 
and  both  are  as  difficult  to  disprove  as  they  are  easy  to 
make.  Most  of  us  think  that  we  are  perfectly  sane;  never- 
theless, most  of  the  things  the  sanest  of  us  do,  look  crazy 
to  somebody  or  other — especially  if  it  hits  the  somebody 
somewhere." 

But  they  had  not  been  working  on  legal  documents 
exclusively.  Among  other  things  that  were  accomplished 
during  the  rest  that  Chandler  insisted  on  Mr.  Endy  taking 
at  nine  o'clock  was  a  paper  which  read,  "SEQUEL  TO 
THE  GREAT  STRIKE  INAUGURATED  AT  STEELr 
TON  TODAY! 

"At  ten  o'clock  tonight  we  learn  of  an  effort  to  prove 
the  insanity  of  Robert  Endy,  Sr.,  because  he  has  made  a 
will  which  devotes  a  large  portion  of  his  wealth  to  the  aid 
of  the  strikers. 

"Charles  Arndt,  one  of  the  advisory  committee,  that 
ordered  the  strike,  has  been  imprisoned  on  a  trumped  up 
charge — See  Editorial." 

The  editorial  was  likewise  prepared  at  the  same  time 
and  place  (but  the  editor  that  was  fortunate  enough  to  get 
this  haul  forgot  to  tell  his  readers  of  that  fact) .    It  read : 

TO  THE  AMERICAN  PEOPLE. 

"We  have  a  word  to  say,  and  especially  to  the  rich. 

"The  time  has  now  arrived  when  the  business  methods 
which  were  inaugurated  by  the  fathers  are  being  operated 
bv  the  sons. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  85 

"These  methods  produced  much  evil,  as  every  man 
knows,  even  when  operated  by  men  who,  because  of  long 
and  intimate  association  with  the  workingmen,  had  still  a 
feeling  of  brotherhood  for  the  masses. 

"This  feeling  is  totally  absent  in  their  sons.  Reared 
in  luxury,  educated  at  select  private  schools,  with  leisure 
for  any  and  every  amusement,  they  have  a  feeling  of  con- 
tempt for  every  man  who  has  not  made  what  they  call  ;* 
'success'  in  life — not  realizing  that  under  present  conditions 
success  is  possible  for  the  few  only. 

"They  have  lost  every  sentiment  which  shoujd  mark  the 
difference  between  an  American  citizen  and  a  member  of 
the  aristocratic  classes  of  Europe.  There  are  few  rich 
men  today  in  this  country  who  do  not  know  this  to  be  true 
of  their  own  sons.  Mr.  Endy  has  found  it  too  true  of  his, 
to  his  sorrow;  and  tomorrow's  session  of  court  will  see  a 
hale  and  hearty  man,  of  undoubted  sanity,  called  to  the  wit- 
ness stand  to  prove  that  he  is  able  to  make  a  testament 
that  will  hold  in  law. 

"Who  will  be  the  next  rich  man  to  share  his  fate? 

"The  young  men  who  are  running  business  today  are 
the  ones  that  are  insane,  or  at  least  mentally  unbalanced. 
They  stop  at  nothing  in  their  mad  effort  to  excel  each 
other  in  the  piling  up  of  dollars  which  most  of  them  do  not 
need — forgetting  that  these  dollars  are  often  the  price  of 
blood.  There  are  those  among  the  people  who  suspect 
that  this  suit  is  only  a  secret  method  of  striking  at  the 
workingmen,  since  it  is  Charles  Arndt,  a  labor  leader,  who 
has  been  imprisoned.  The  Iron  and  Steel  Company  will 
have  a  chance  to  disavow  all  connection  with  the  matter 
and  we  expect  them  to  do  so  promptly,  as  the  people  are 
deathly  tired  of  such  methods — and  have  said  so,  time  and 
again." 

This  was  sent  by  telegraph  to  the  paper  having  the 
largest  circulation  in  the  United  States,  "The  Plutocrat," 
and  also  the  "Clyde  Daily  Clarion" — a  Socialist  paper,  that, 
of  course,  favored  the  strikers.  The  "Plutocrat"  was 
assured  that  it  would  be  the  only  paper  in  the  East  to  get 
that  matter — thus  insuring  its  publication.  It  was  almost 
one  o'clock  when  Mr.  Endy  and  Arthur  went  to  a  hotel  and 
secured  adjoining  rooms  with  a  doorway  between;  and  at 


86  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

least  one  of  them  slept  soundly  the  remainder  of  the 
night. 

Arthur,  however,  had  been  up  a  long  time  before  he 
called  Mr.  Endy — at  eight  o'clock;  and  those  who  know 
him  will  be  certain  that  he  would  have  been  ready  for  any 
emergency  at  any  moment. 

When  the  party  assembled  in  the  court  room  they  found 
it  crowded  to  the  doors,  the  space  set  apart  for  the  bar 
could  not  nearly  hold  the  attorneys  present,  and  Arndt 
looked  anxiously  at  Chandler — fearing  that  his  friend  might 
be  disconcerted.  But  Chandler  seemed  to  be  enjoying  the 
best  of  spirits;  and  when  Mr.  Endy  caught  Arndt's  expres- 
sion he  leaned  over  and  said,  "Chandler  is  all  right — never 
you  fear  for  him.  I  tell  you  when  a  man's  heart  is  in  his 
cause  the  fear  of  man  departs  from  him." 

"Amen,"  said  Arndt. 

But,  in  the  end,  the  people  and  the  lawyers  were  cheated 
out  of  their  expected  legal  battle,  and  Chandler  lost  his 
chance  to  make  a  speech  which  would  certainly  have  made 
him  famous  for  all  time. 

For  the  magistrate,  on  calling  the  case,  said  briefly,  that 
the  information  lodged  against  the  prisoner  had  been  with- 
drawn with  the  consent  of  the  State's  attorney  and  that  Mr. 
Arndt  was  therefore  at  liberty. 

Chandler  jumped  to  his  feet  and1  wanted  to  make  a  fight 
on  certain  legal  informalities  in  the  whole  proceeding,  and 
also  advised  Arndt  that  he  could  recover  heavy  damages 
from  Robert  Endy,  the  informant. 

But  Arndt  said  emphatically,  "We  stop  this  case  right 
here,  Harry!  Robert  Endy  will  pay  dearly  enough  for  this, 
if  he  has  not  already  done  so. 

"That  newspaper  work  of  yours  was  a  masterstroke.  I 
don't  think  you  need  regret  the  loss  of  that  speech — you 
can  get  it  off  some  other  day  anyhow;  for  this  fight  has 
only  begun." 

Now  the  fact  was  that  Robert's  father  had  not  fully 
realized  the  import  of  what  was  occurring  until  he  found 
himself  in  the  court  room;  then  the  thought  flashed  across 
his  mind  in  all  its  hideous  reality  that  his  child,  his  son 
Robert,  was  going  to  have  to  stand  there  before  that  mul- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  87 

titude  and  appear  to  doubt  the  sanity  of  his  old  father.  So, 
when  the  magistrate  made  his  announcement  and  dismissed 
Arndt,  a  great  wave  of  relief  and  thankfulness  swept  over 
him — only  to  be  instantly  checked  by  Chandler's  words  and 
advice  to  Arndt. 

It  was  characteristic  of  the  man  that  he  never  gave  a 
sign  of  what  his  wishes  would  be;  for  he  knew  that  the 
advice  was  sound — and  also  just;  but  when  he  heard 
Arndt's  emphatic  words  he  grasped  the  young  man's  hand 
and  in  a  moment  transferred  his  own  to  the  arm  of  Arndt, 
and  so  the  two  went  out  of  the  court  room  arm  in  arm  in 
the  sight  of  all  men. 

And  as  they  passed  from  sight  the  significance  of  the  act 
dawned  on  the  assembled  people,  and  then  a  wave  of  feeling 
swept  over  them  and  broke  through  all  restraints,  and  cheer 
followed  cheer.  There  was  no  attempt  made  to  stop  the 
disturbance,  for  a  judge  who  is  "Amenable  to  Reason" 
does  not  always  have  to  have  his  reason  in  the  shape  of 
dollars. 

Mr.  Endy  then  went  with  Chandler  to  look  over  the  will 
and  probably  draw  a  new  one.  "For,"  said  he,  "I  am 
obliged  to  confess  that  I  have  serious  doubts  whether  a 
will  that  was  drawn  by  a  corporation  lawyer — who  openly 
said  that  he  did  not  like  it — will  hold  together  and  do  what 
I  want  it  to." 

But  there  he  was  wrong;  for  the  will  and  codicil  were 
technically  perfect,  as  Chandler  assured  him.  "And,"  he 
continued,  "I  expected  nothing  else.  The  professional 
instinct  is  strong.  Many  lawyers  do  perfectly  illegai  and 
unjust  things  in  the  interest  of  their  clients — but  not 
against  them.  It  was  certainly  not  Mr.  Johnson  that 
betrayed  you.  Nevertheless,  I  advise  that  you  have  an 
entirely  new  will  drawn  at  once;  every  added  codicil  is  just 
that  much  added  weakness  to  the  instrument." 

So  Mr.  Arthur  had  a  chance  to  make  up  for  some  of 
his  lost  sleep  while  the  two  were  engaged  on  the  will;  and 
they  arrived  at  the  station  and  met  Arndt  just  in  time  to 
board  the  train. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  Steelton  they  were  met  by  John 
with  the  carriage  who  reported  that  Rollins  had  instructed 


88  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

him  to  say  that  Miss  Nettie  had  not  been  doing  so  well 
as  the  doctor  had  expected,  owing  to  some  anxiety  about 
Arndt  which  their  assurances  of  his  safety  had  not  been 
able  to  quiet. 

Accordingly,  Arndt  was  driven  to  the  MacDonald 
house,  where  he  found  it  necessary  to  make  his  home  for 
the  present,  and  Mr.  Endy  went  to  the  mansion  to  meet  his 
angry  and  disappointed  son. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"Do  them — or    they'll    do   you !" 

— Business  version  of  the  Golden   Rule. 

The  person  who  in  the  year  1900  traveled  over  the  state 
of  Missouri,  or  looked  on  its  map,  would  not  have  found 
the  city  of  Clyde  or  the  smaller  municipality  of  Steelton. 

With  their  usual  foresight  the  rich  men  who  owned  the 
different  Iron  and  Steel  plants  had  consolidated  and  con- 
solidated again,  until  at  last,  further  consolidation  was 
impossible. 

The  great  improvement  in  the  methods  of  rendering  the 
ores  and  manufacturing  the  iron  made  it  cheaper  in  the 
long  run  to  abandon  many  of  the  plants  in  the  Atlantic 
coast  states,  and  new  mills  and  furnaces  with  the  latest 
improvements  were  erected — and  always  further  West  and 
South.  The  completion  of  the  Panama  Canal  found  the 
central  plant  of  the  Consolidated  Iron  and  Steel  Company 
located  in  the  almost  central  state  of  Missouri,  where  an 
unexcelled  amount  and  quality  of  ore  and  everything 
needed  in  the  manufacture,  and  water  as  well  as  rail  trans- 
portation for  the  finished  product,  gave  them  additional 
leverage  for  multiplying  their  vast  wealth. 

Little  cared  they  for  the  workingmen  who  by  a  life- 
time of  saving  had  purchased  homes  in  the  eastern  states, 
and  who  now,  in  order  to  secure  work  had  to  sacrifice 
everything  and  move  West.  The  corporation  made  money 
even  out  of  this. 

They  located  the  works  on  the  site  of  those  previously 
owned  and  operated  by  Robert  Endy,  Sr.  He,  seeing  the 
uselessness  of  resistance  had  made  the  best  bargain  he 
could  with  them  and  secured  a  promise  that  his  old 
employes  should  be  given  employment.  This  promise 
was  kept  in  the  manner  that  we  have  seen. 

The  Company  owns  all  the  surrounding  country  that 
they  could  purchase.  There  was  but  little  they  wished 
for  that  they  did  not  find  some  means  to  secure. 

89 


90 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 


The  mineral  resources  and  manufactures  of  the  state 
were  already,  in  1900,  well  developed;  and  the  country  was 
then  full  of  flourishing  towns.  As  far  as  the  towns  are 
concerned  they,  soon  after  the  putting  of  Mr.  Craggie's 
plans  in  operation,  became  a  thing  of  the  past;  for  those 
that  found  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  officers  of  the  corpora- 
tion soon  swelled  to  the  size  of  cities — and  the  others 
ceased  to  grow  or  died  of  stagnation. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  century  the  hardship  of  the 
farmer's  life  was  already  having  its  effect  in  this  same  direc- 
tion, and  as  the  consolidation  of  great  masses  of  humanity 
in  the  cities  chimed  in  exactly  with  Mr.  Craggie's  plans  he 
facilitated  the  killing  off  of  the  small  towns — regardless 
of  the  suffering  and  loss  entailed  on  individuals.  The  com- 
pany made  more  millions  than  even  they  would  ever  own 
up  to  in  the  founding  of  their  new  city,  Clyde,  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  The  way  for  it  had  been 
silently  prepared  by  the  smart  men  who  once  in  a  while 
secured  a  personal  interview  with  Mr.  Craggie  to  report 
progress  and  receive  new  orders,  and  it  was  fully  fifteen 
years  after  he  said  the  first  word  about  it  to  any  of  them 
before  the  public,  or  those  who  had  formerly  owned  the 
land,  became  aware  of  what  was  going  on.  Then  the  scale 
on  which  the  city  was  laid  out  and  the  open  announce- 
ment by  Mr.  Craggie  that  he  intended  to  dwarf  St.  Louis 
and,  in  fact,  any  other  city  in  the  world  was  made  public. 
And  those  who  knew  Mr.  Craggie's  record  did  not  doubt 
either  his  intention  or  ability  to  do  as  he  promised.  So  they 
bought. 

And  it  was  these  purchasers  who  really  paid  for  the 
city;  for  every  dollar  they  spent  in  improving  their  own 
property  was  only  another  excuse  for  increasing  the  price 
of  the  unsold  lots,  of  which  the  company  had  retained — at 
the  start — every  other  one. 

It  is  true  that  the  charter  of  the  I.  &  S.  Co.  did  not  per- 
mit it  to  do  anything  but  manufacture  iron  and  steel;  the 
stockholders  did  not  get  a  penny  of  these  profits — they  all 
went  into  the  pockets  of  the  president  of  the  company,  the 
Honorable  Gustavus  Craggie,  and  a  few  of  his  pets.  But 
the  plans  were  made,  and  the  executive  work  was  largely 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  91 

done,  by  the  company's  clerks  and  officers — and  those  bills 
and  numerous  others  the  company  paid. 

No  sooner  was  ground  broken  at  Clyde  than  Mr.  Crag- 
gie  had  a  straight  line  of  track  laid  over  the  sixty  odd  miles 
that  separated  Steelton  from  the  metropolis;  and  the  time 
he  allowed  for  the  trip  was  forty  minutes — if  he  was  not  in 
a  hurry. 

He,  with  a  few  others,  owned  this  road;  and  the  com- 
pany paid  exorbitant  freight  charges  on  their  product, 
ostensibly  to  crush  out  competition,  but  really  to  fill  the 
coffers  of  the  owners. 

The  Hon.  Gotlieb  Voss  was  then  elected  president  of 
this  and  several  other  roads;  and  he  understood  perfectly 
that  'he  had  to  thank  Mr.  Craggie  for  the  position. 

Therefore  Mr.  Craggie  carried  in  his  pocket  an  order 
signed  by  Mr.  Voss  giving  him  the  right  of  way  at  any  and 
all  times.  So  what  could  one  expect  but  that  regular 
trains  would  have  to  wait  when  Mr.  Craggie  received  a 
certain  telegram  announcing  the  death  of  MacDonald  and 
the  circumstances  attending  it.  He  was  at  that  instant  at 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  inspecting  the  plant  there,  and  he  proposed 
to  remain  in  that  vicinity  for  at  least  a  week  longer. 

By  his  side  when  he  received  the  telegram  was  his  pri- 
vate secretary  Archibald  Chambers,  a  remarkably  fine 
looking  man  with  the  quietest  manner  and  the  palest  face 
imaginable.  The  way  in  which  the  heads  of  departments 
spoke  to  him  convinced  everyone  at  once  that  Chambers 
was  no  ordinary  man.  The  President  treated  him  as  he 
did  every  one;  that  is,  in  a  curt,  ungentlemanly  way — 
and  Chambers  never  paid  the  slightest  attention  to  the  tone 
or  the  words.  His  reply  was  always  clear,  concise  and 
courteous. 

After  reading  the  telegram  Mr.  Craggie  handed  it  to 
Chambers  with  the  remark,  "What  did  that  infernal  fool 
send  such  a  piece  of  information  as  that  to  me  for.  People 
have  to  die  sometime,  don't  they?" 

Chambers  met  his  angry  glance  and  said  quietly,  "Shall 
I  order  the  car  to  be  ready  to  start  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  Sir — say  in  half  an  hour?  If  you  think  well  of  it 
I  will  send  the  man  a  check  for  fifty  dollars;  he  has  served 
you  well." 


92  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

No  one  was  within  hearing,  yet  Mr.  Craggie  made  a  pre- 
tense of  reading  the  telegram  again.  Then  he  said,  "Yes, 
yes,  you  are  right — there  is  apt  to  be  trouble.  There  is 
really  nothing  to  keep  us  here." 

So,  although  at  the  moment  all  was  quiet,  they  started 
West. 

On  the  road  home  he  received  another  telegram 
announcing  the  beginning  of  the  strike,  and  later  one 
telling  of  the  arrest  of  Arndt  and  giving  the  "editorial" 
in  full. 

The  special  train  had  never  in  all  its  fast  runs  covered 
the  miles  in  fewer  seconds  than  it  did  during  the  darkness 
of  that  night  after  the  receiving  of  that  last  telegram. 
They  had  just  made  a  stop  in  order  to  lay  in  some  pro- 
visions which  had  been  ordered  by  wire.  These  were 
not  on  hand  at  the  moment  of  their  arrival ;  for  they  were 
away  ahead  of  schedule  time — a  clear  track  having  been 
secured  for  them.  The  cook  left  the  car  to  attend  to  the 
matter.  In  the  meantime  the  last  telegram  arrived  and 
Mr.  Craggie  gave  no  further  thought  to  eating.  He  was 
furious,  and  had  to  have  some  one  on  whom  to  lay  the 
blame.  The  only  person  in  the  car — besides  himself — 
since  the  cook  had  been  left  behind — was  Chambers. 

He  turned  on  him  and  fiercely  said,  "I  can't  for  the 
life  of  me  see  why  this  important  piece  of  news  comes  so 
late,  and  has  reached  me  in  this  way  after  it  is  too  late  to 
prevent  its  publication." 

Chambers  looked  up  from  his  writing  and  very  quietly 
replied,  "Robert  Endy  evidently  expected  to  have  that 
man  Arndt  make  some  sort  of  compromise  with  him,  and 
so  he  kept  it  quiet  in  the  first  place.  I  know  Endy  well, 
and  that's  just  him.  Then,  Jones  made  the  arrest — that's 
plain — and  we  haven't  a  hold  on  him — and  he  could  pre- 
vent its  getting  into  the  evening  papers.  Moreover,  three 
days  ago  you  gave  me  orders  not  to  open  any  mail  or 
telegrams  that  came  marked  "Private" — I  always  obey 
orders,  to  the  letter.  Some  operator  may  have  sent  you 
a  notice  that  way.  Here  are  some  that  came  while  you 
were  sleeping.  The  operator  at  Steelton  wouldn't  send 
you  notice  of  anything." 


THE  RECORDIXG  AXGEL 


93 


"Wouldn't,  eh?      Well  we'll  attend  to  his  case  by  and 

"Yes;  here's  the  telegram  from  that  fool  operator  at 
Clyde.  I  think  he's  expecting  a  reward.  He's  taken  spe- 
cial pains  to  bring  himself  to  my  notice.  Well,  I'll  pay 
him :  Have  him  discharged !  News  that  don't  get  to  me  in 
tune  is  worse  than  none.    Blacklist  the  idiot." 

And  so  they  sped  on  through  the  night;  and,  as  Cham- 
bers said  to  himself  as  he  stepped  from  the  car  the  next 
morning,  "If  there  was  a  moment  of  the  time  that  you 
weren't  making  this  earth  a  hell  for  some  one— mostly 
for  me,  old  gentleman,  I  don't  know  of  it." 

******* 

But  we,  however,  must  leave  those  two  to  finish  their 
journey  while  we  go  back  a  few  hours  in  order  to  account 
for  the  reason  why  Mr.  Chandler  did  not  get  a  chance  to 
make  the  speech  of  his  life,  which  speech  would,  in  all 
probability,  have  cast  most  of  the  odium  of  the  suit,  at 
least  in  the  popular  mind,  upon  the  Iron  and  Steel  Com- 
pany. 

When  Robert  saw  his  father  go  with  Arndt  and  the 
sheriff  he  supposed  that  it  was  with  the  intention  to  secure 
bail  for  Arndt,  and  so  save  him  from  prison. 

Robert's  lawyer — who  was  none  other  than  Eugene 
Johnson— had  thought  that  it  was  his  duty  to  inform  his 
client  of  what  was  so  manifestly  against  his  interest-  and 
so,  as  between  the  part  of  clerk  in  his  father's  office  and  a 
lawyer  building  up  a  practice  of  his  own,  his  ideas  of  what 
was  proper  became  mixed.  He  decided  upon  the  course 
which  he  thought  would  soonest  fill  his  own  pockets. 
Therefore  he  had  informed  Robert  that  the  will  could 
easily  be  broken,  when  the  time  came,  and  advised  the 
suit  against  Arndt  as  a  preliminary  measure:  and  every 
word  he  told  his  client  was  true. 

Many  a  man  who  has  stood  in  the  way  of  the  money 
power  in  this  country  discovered  their  methods— to  his 
cost — and  has  been  disposed  of  easilv  enough, — without 
killing  him  either.  Sometimes  he  is  "ruined  in  business, 
sometimes  this  and  other  times  that  wav  is  chosen;  but 
the  man  who  does  not  cringe  and  bow  and  scrape  to  the 
monied  class  in  America  today,  sooner  or  later  feels  the 


94  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

mailed  hand.  It  was  bad  in  1900.  It  is  much  worse, 
infinitely  worse  now;  and  these  proceedings  against  Arndt 
could,  easily  enough,  have  landed  him  high  and  dry  out 
of  the  swim. 

But  neither  Eugene  Johnson  nor  Robert  Endy  cal- 
culated on  the  genuine  affection  which  had  grown  up 
between  Arndt  and  Robert's  father;  neither  did  they  nor 
any  one  else  know  of  the  slowly  crystalizing  resolution 
of  ten  years'  growth  which  had  become  hard  as  diamond 
on  the  day  when  Robert  Endy  stood  by  the  coffin  of 
Angus  MacDonald,  as  he  realized  that  but  for  his  son's 
ambition — not,  to  be  rich,  but,  to  excel  all  other  men  at 
whatever  cost, — the  man  then  lying  still  in  death  would 
be  alive  and  talking  to  him  as  of  old  on  the  subjects  which 
were  of  equal  interest  to  both. 

And  this  lack  of  knowledge  was  the  fatal  flaw  in  the 
chain  forged  by  the  plotters.  Mr.  Endy,  for  the  time, 
even  forgot  that  the  man  he  was  fighting  against  was  his 
son;  for  when  Robert  said  that  the  officer  was  at  the  door 
waiting  to  arrest  Arndt,  every  sense  of  hospitality  in  his 
father's  being  was  shocked  to  its  foundation,  and  that 
weighed  with  him  even  more  than  the  implied  threat  or 
hint  of  his  mental  unsoundness. 

So  Robert  laughed  as  he  saw  them  leaving  the  grounds, 
— well  knowing  that  no  bail  could  be  secured  for  Arndt 
that  day,  and  fully  intending  that  none  should  be  accepted 
for  him  on  the  morrow;  since  Johnson  had  assured  him 
that  the  magistrate  was  "Amenable  to  Reason" — whatever 
that  may  signify. 

He,  therefore,  went  whistling  into  the  house  and 
decided  to  retire  quite  early,  since  there  was  nothing  to 
be  seen  or  done  in  Steelton — there  being  not  even  the 
works  to  interest  him, — they  standing  dark  and  silent  for 
the  first  time  since  they  had  been  erected.  The.  company 
had  always  been  prepared  for  previous  strikes,  and  by 
doubling  up  the  force  had  heretofore  kept  at  least  a  part 
of  the  plant  running. 

So,  after  sauntering  around  the  grounds  until  dark  he 
went  back  to  the  library,  and  after  smoking  a  cigar  while 
he  made  a  few  more  plans  he  went  to  bed  and  soon  fell 
asleep;  but  his  last  conscious  thought  was  one  of  amuse- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  95 

ment  as  he  imagined  the  disappointment  he  was  sure  had 
come  to  his  father  and  Arndt. 

He  arose  early  in  order  to  take  the  first  train  to  Clyde' 
where  he  would  have  to  appear  as  prosecutor  in  the  case 
against  his  former  friend;  and  he  now  began  to  get 
nervous  as  he  realized,  for  the  first  time,  that  the  suit 
implied  a  doubt  as  to  the  mental  condition  of  his  father. 
Oddly  enough,  this  had  never  attracted  his  attention — 
although  it  was  the  first  thought  of  his  father  and  Arndt 
on  the  preceding  day. 

He  was  now  sorry  for  the  part  he  was  going  to  have 
to  play;  but  he  was  so  bitter  against  Arndt,  whom  he  held 
personally  responsible  for  the  strike  occurring  at  this  time, 
— since  it  upset  all  his  plans  and  calculations — that  he 
braced  himself  to  face  the  matter  to  the  end; — for,  he 
argued  with  himself,  "It's  partly  true  anyhow:  Father 
must  be  getting  weak  in  his  mind  to  have  made  such  a 
will."     ■ 

Nevertheless,  he  did  not  feel  quite  comfortable  about 
it;  and  it  was  while  he  was  endeavoring  to  find  some  way 
out  of  this  unpleasantness  without  releasing  his  hold  on 
Arndt — and  while  still  seated  at  the  table  trying  to  eat  his 
early  breakfast — that  he  was  startled  to  hear  the  servant 
who  was  waiting  on  the  table  say:  "Mr.  Robert,  Sir! 
Mr.  Craggie  is  in  the  library,  and  asks  to  see  you  at  once." 

Robert  did  not  go  at  once;  but  it  did  not  take  him 
long  to  finish  the  meal.  The  presence  of  the  president  of 
the  largest  corporation  on  the  face  of  the  earth  was  enough 
to  spoil  the  appetite  of  any  ordinary  mortal;  and  Robert 
never  realized  until  long  afterwards,  that  he  had  not  asked 
Mr.  Craggie  to  be  seated. 

Mr.  Craggie  was  evidently  angry  at  the  slight  delay, 
and  as  Robert  entered  the  library  he  stopped  his  walk 
and  promptly  handed  him  the  telegram  containing  the 
heading  and  editorial  which  we  have  seen  prepared.  The 
newspaper,  or  some  member  of  its  staff,  served  the  cor- 
poration well,  and  had  promptly  notified  Mr.  Craggie  of 
the  blow  which  was  preparing.  This  had  been  foreseen  by 
Chandler — as  was  appreciated  by  all  those  who  read  care- 
fully the  last  paragraph  of  the  editorial.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  very  newspaper  that  contained  this  matter  also 


96  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

contained — in  letters  twice  as  large — a  so-called  interview 
with  Mr.  Craggie  (which  was  really  dictated  to  Chambers 
as  they  traveled  swiftly  through  the  night). 

In  this  so-called  interview  the  president  emphatically 
denied  any  responsibility  for  the  arrest  of  Arndt,  and  said 
that  it  was  the  last  thing  the  company  wished — which  was 
true  enough — and  that  he  expected  to  find  that  it  was  all 
a  trick  of  the  strikers  themselves — which  he  knew  to  be 
a  lie. 

Robert,  for  a  few  moments,  stood  there  perfectly 
dumbfounded  at  the  unexpected  turn  events  had  taken, 
and  all  that  Mr.  Craggie  said  to  him  was,  "Have  you  read 
that,  Mr.  Endy?"  and  then  he  resumed  his  walk  as  Robert 
started  to  re-read  the  words  that  showed  him  that  his 
chances  for  ever  being  president  of  the  company  were  slip- 
ping away — and  very  fast  at  that. 

Therefore,  when  he  looked  at  his  guest  he  was  not 
surprised  to  have  him  stop  directly  in  front  of  him  and 
order:  "Please  sit  down  and  say  in  writing,  over  your 
own  signature,  that  the  company  has  had  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  this  matter ;  that  it  is  entirely  your  own 
private  affair;  and  also,  that  the  company's  name  has  not 
even  been  mixed  up  in  it,  in  any  manner,  shape  or  form — 
first  or  last." 

At  the  concluding  sentence  Robert  winced'  and  then 
said,  "I  cannot  say  that,  since  I  tried  to  serve  the  com- 
pany at  the  same  time  as  myself  by  making  it  a  condition 
of  my  proposed  abandonment  of  the  suit  that  Arndt  should 
use  all  his  influence  to  secure  the  return  of  the  men  to 
work  at  once." 

"Well!  Well!!  Well!!!"  stormed  Mr.  Craggie,  "it  is 
even  worse  than  I  expected.  I  would  like  to  know  on  what 
authority  you  acted!  I  would  like  to  know  how  you 
obtained  tihe  information  that  I  desired  the  men  to  return 
to  work  at  all!  If  the  strikers  don't  win  this  time  I  think 
that  we  will  have  them  whipped  forever;  for  they  never 
had  such  another  chance.  And  if  they  put  you  on  the 
stand  you  will  have  to  swear  to  that?" 

Robert  simply  nodded  his  head. 

"Botheration!"  said  the  president,  "and  so  I've  got 
your  conscience  to  fool  with,  have  I?     I  would  not  for 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  97 

ten  thousand  dollars  that  this  had  happened.  There  isn't 
but  one  way  out  of  it.  They  will  have  a  good  lawyer — 
they  have  learned  that  much — and  you  simply  must  not  be 
put  on  the  stand.  You've  got  to  let  your  private  affairs 
go  for  the  present,  and  telegraph  to  your  attorney  to  with- 
draw this  suit — at  any  cost.    You  can  send  the  bill  to  me." 

"I  am  able  to  pay  my  own  bills,  Sir,"  said  Robert 
haughtily,  "and  I  will  gladly  withdraw  the  suit;  but  not 
entirely  on  account  of  the  company.  I  have  made  a  blun- 
der, and  I  will  do  my  best  to  correct  it  at  once." 

"Do  so!"  was  the  ungracious  reply  of  Mr.  Craggie 
as  he  went  toward  the  door,  and  then  together  they  passed 
out  of  the  house. 

As  he  stepped  into  his  carriage,  which  awaited  him  at 
the  door,  he  paused  and  said,  "I  forgot  to  mention  that 
after  today  the  company  will  have  no  further  use  for  your 
services,  Mr.  Endy." 

"Precisely  so!"  said  Robert. 


CHAPTER  X. 

"It  is  the   unexpected  that  happens." 

— Old    Saying. 

When  Arndt  entered  the  familiar  sitting  room,  Kenedy, 
who  was  seated  at  the  center  table  preparing  some  med- 
icines, looked  up  and  said  somewhat  sharply,  "See  here, 
my  friend!  you  are  going  to  have  to  do  better  than  this. 
The  strike  may  be  of  vast  importance  to  the  universe  in 
general,  but  I  have  an  idea  that  the  life  and  sanity  of  your 
sweetheart  should  be  of  more  importance  to  you.  Doc- 
tors and  nurses  can't  do  everything.  We  are  compelled  to 
have  a  little  aid  from  outsiders,  once  in  a  while;  and  I'll 
tell  you  plainly  that  one  or  two  more  such  nights  as  Nettie 
has  just  passed  through  will  be — well, — I'll  not  be  account- 
able for  the  result!" 

Arndt  said  savagely,  "Pile  it  on,  Doctor, , pile  it  on! 
You  can't  say  too  much  on  that  subject;  but,  while  you 
are  at  it,  go  and  say  it  to  the  man  who  caused  me  to  pass 
the  night  locked  up  in  jail." 

"In  prison!"  said  Kenedy  incredulously.     "Who?" 

"I,"  said  Arndt  shortly,  "and  put  there  by  Robert 
Endy;  and  if  any  evil  result  comes  to  Nettie- — !  Now  you 
go  up  and  relieve  her  mind,  at  once.  Never  a  word  of  the 
prison  to  her!  Blame  it  all  on  my  lack  of  forethought, 
if  you  will;  and  as  soon  as  Annie  can  be  spared  bring  her 
here  and  I  will  tell  all  about  it,  so  that  once  telling  will  do." 

Kenedy  gathered  up  his  medicines  and  hastened  from 
the  room  and  Arndt  stretched  himself  on  the  sofa — the 
same  old  high-backed  sofa  on  which  he  had  helped  to 
lay  the  body  of  Angus  MacDonald — and  immediately  fell 
asleep. 

He  was  utterly  worn  out,  or,  perhaps,  he  would  have 
thought  twice  before  resting  there;  but,  yet,  he  might 
have  chosen  that  place,  for  he  had  none  but  pleasant 
memories  of  his  friend — and  often  the  dead  to  him  seemed 
more  near  than  those  we  call  alive. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  99 

It  was  at  least  half  an  hour  afterward  when  Kenedy 
and  Arndt's  sister  entered  the  room.  The  sound  of  the 
opening  door  made  him  start  up  suddenly. 

Kenedy  said,  "That's  a  shame!  We  should  have  known 
that  you  would  be  resting." 

"Much  obliged  to  you  for  waking  me,"  said  Arndt. 
"I've  got  an  awful  lot  to  attend  to." 

Then  he  looked  at  his  sister  and  got  up  and  threw  his 
arms  about  her  and  kissed  her,  saying,  "I  have  had  no 
chance  to  thank  you,  properly,  for  coming,  dear  heart. 
Let  me  look  at  you  again!  Why,  it  does  my  soul  good 
just  to  look  at  that  bright  face.  I  declare  I  believe  you 
are  getting  sweeter  and  prettier  every  day.  If  nursing  is 
what  affects  one  so  favorably — " 

Annie  put  her  hand  over  his  mouth  and  laughed  as 
she  said,  "That  will  do,  Charlie — if  you  are  going  to 
credit  it  to  nursing  you  need  say  nothing  more." 

"Well,"  Arndt  retorted,  "The  last  time  I  saw  you  it  is 
very  certain  that  you  were  looking  sort  of  hopeless  and 
woebegone; — never  saw  a  greater  change  and  improve- 
ment in  so  short  a  time  in  my  life, — did  you,  Doctor?" 

Annie  spoke  up  promptly,  "Don't  let  him  beguile  you 
into  paying  me  any  compliments,  Doctor.  And  as  for  you, 
Charlie,  I  say  much  obliged  for  the  praise  of  my  appear- 
ance. It  is  due  to  love — and  I  credit  the  improvement  to 
the  loved  object." 

"Not  in  love,  at  last,  Annie!"  exclaimed  her  brother. 
"Are  you  engaged?" 

She  ignored  his  question  and  said,  "Let  us  hear  your 
story  and  then  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it."  And  then  she 
turned  to  Kenedy  and  laughingly  said,  "Doctor,  I  am 
going  to  ask  you  to  remain  and  hear  my  confession." 

Kenedy  said,  "Miss  Arndt,  I  shall  be  highly  honored 
if  you  will  so  permit  me.  A  good,  whole  souled,  love  story 
is,  to  me,  a  perpetual  delight,  even  in  books.  Begin  Arndt! 
I  beg  of  you,  for  I  must  leave  in  a  little  while  and  I  want 
to  hear  what  your  sister  has  to  say." 

In  as  few  words  as  possible  Arndt  told  them  all,  and 
both  expressed  great  indignation  at  the  conduct  of  Robert 
Endy,  and  Kenedy  added  a  few  contemptuous  epithets 
as  his  opinion  of  the  man  himself. 


ioo  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Annie  checked  him,  saying,  "You  are  wrong.  The 
man  is  simply  the  product  of  the  system.  If  you  make 
thieves  and  murderers  by  the  wholesale  you  won't  find  all 
or  nearly  all  of  them  among  what  are  called  the  lower  or 
middle  classes.  As  I  told  Charlie  in  a  letter  some  time 
ago,  I  have  been  nursing  a  rich  man  in  Clyde  who  spends 
all  his  time,  whenever  he  has  the  strength,  in  writing  let- 
ters and  books  advocating  Socialism,  and  I  also  read  a 
great  deal  to  him, — both  letters  from  the  leaders  of  the 
movement  and  their  books.  But  it  is  the  letters  more  than 
the  books  that  has  made  a  thorough  convert  of  me.  It 
seems  to  me  that  in  those  private  letters,  so  full  of  high 
ideals,  love  of  the  race,  devotion  to  principle,  and  tales 
of  sacrifices  for  a  despised  cause  there  is  a  record  that  if 
the  world  could  read  it  as  I  have  read,  and  could  see  or 
know  of  the  life  of  the  man  I  have  been  nursing,  they 
would  all  love  the  principles  and  the  cause  as  I  love  them. 
Yes:  Socialism  is  my  love,  and  I  will  tell  you  that  neither 
Charles,  Mr.  Endy,  the  strikers  nor  any  one  else  is  going 
to  accomplish  anything  permanent  until  they  align  them- 
selves with  us.  Love  rules,  and  'has  always  ruled  the 
universe;  and  so  far  as  I  know,  we  are  the  only  set  of 
people  who  truly  love  our  cause.  In  that  fact  lies  the 
assurance  of  ultimate  victory." 

Arndt  said — "A  Socialist!  Well,  well — and  so  young 
and  sweet  and  pretty." 

Kenedy  smiled  at  her  enthusiasm  and  said  kindly, 
"How  dare  I  leave  a  patient  that  needs  and  must  have 
absolute  quiet  in  the  charge  of  one  who  will  never  miss 
the  chance  to  make  a  convert." 

"Retain  your  peace  of  mind,  Sir,"  said  Annie,  lightly, 
"I  know  my  duties  in  the  sick  room,  and  a  Socialist  is  the 
very  one  to  perform  duty  faithfully.  And,  as  for  the 
'sweet'  and  'pretty,'  Charlie,  I'll  tell  you  now  that  if 
you  want  sweet  and  pretty  and  hopeful  girls  you  are  going 
to  have  to  give  us  either  Socialism  outright  or  the  hope 
of  it.  There  was  nothing  in  this  world  the  matter  with 
me  except  sickness  of  heart  at  the  sight  of  suffering, 
useless  suffering  in  the  world,  and,  as  I  then  thought,  the 
utterly  hopeless  outlook  for  the  future.  Socialism  has 
made  a  new  woman  of  me,  for  it  has  given  me  hope:  all 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  101 

that  I  have  or  am  belongs  to  the  Cause.  It  is  not  at  all 
a  case  of  sacrifice:  I  can  never  repay  what  it  has  already 
done  for  me.  Moreover,"  she  added  laughingly,  "I  am 
going  to  convert  both  of  you  before  I  return  to  Clyde ; 
I  feel  it  in  my  nerves." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Kenedy — "wonders  will  never  cease. 
It  is  the  unexpected  that  happens — " 

"And  therefore  I  will  convert  both  of  you,"  said  Annie 
as  she  left  the  room  and  returned  to  her  patient. 

While  this  was  taking  place,  Robert  Endy,  Sr.,  was 
riding  along  the  quiet  streets  of  Steelton,  for,  on  taking 
leave  of  Arndt  he  instructed  John  to  continue  driving 
about  until  he  told  him  to  turn  toward  the  mansion;  the 
fact  of  the  case  being  that  he  was  in  no  hurry  to  meet  his 
son.  He  was  so  busy  with  his  thoughts  and  so  intensely 
dreading  the  interview  that  he  never  once  noticed  the 
respectful  greetings  given  him  by  the  workingmen  as  he 
rode  past  them. 

In  each  case  it  was  only  a  respectful  raising  of  the  hat, 
for  they  had  all  read  or  heard  of  what  had  occurred,  and 
they  were  truly  sorry  for  him.  Also,  they  were  thinking 
of  what  he  was  doing  for  their  cause;  and  that  touched 
them  more  deeply  than  anything  given  to  them  personally 
could  have  done. 

At  last  the  sky  became  overcast  with  floating  clouds 
which  from  time  to  time  obscured  the  sun  and  the  air 
became  so  chill  that  John  looked  anxiously  at  his  employer 
and  finally  turned  to  Arthur,  who  was  riding  beside  him, 
and  said,  "Don't  you  think  it  would  be  well  to  remind  Mr. 
Endy  of  the  weather?  He  is  not  in  the  habit  of  being 
much  out  of  doors  during  the  fall  and  winter." 

Arthur  glanced  at  Mr.  Endy  and  seeing  his  preoccupa- 
tion said,  "You  are  right.  Just  drive  home  as  fast  as  you 
can  and  I  will  call  his  attention  to  it  when  we  are  almost 
there." 

In  a  short  time  they  were  at  one  of  the  gates  of  the 
mansion  grounds,  and  then  Arthur  said,  "Mr.  Endy.  if  you 
will  excuse  me  for  mentioning  it  I  am  getting  quite  cool — 
the  air  feels  as  though  we  might  have  snow  before  morn- 
ing." 

Recalled  thus   to  his   surroundings   Mr.   Endy  imme- 


102  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

diately  told  John  to  turn  in,  and  then  he  thanked  Arthur 
for  the  suggestion. 

But  Arthur  laughingly  said,  "No,  no,  that  was  John's 
suggestion.  I  ought  to  have  thought  of  it,  but  the  fact 
is  that  I  was  thinking  of  other  matters." 

As  they  stepped  from  the  carriage  the  door  of  the 
house  opened;  and  as  they  entered  the  hall  Rollins  said, 
"Mr.  Endy,  Sir,  here  is  a  letter  that  Mr.  Robert  told  me 
to  hand  you  as  soon  as  you  returned." 

"Where  is  Robert?"  was  the  reply. 

"I  don't  know,  Sir,"  said  Rollins,  "Mr.  Robert  left  the 
house  on  foot  soon  after  Mr.  Craggie  went  away — he  had 
a  small  hand  satchel  with  him  and  he  left  no  other  mes- 
sage with  me  than  the  letter  I  gave  you." 

"Mr.  Craggie?"  said  the  old  man,  "When  was  Mr. 
Craggie  here?" 

"At  breakfast  time,  Sir.  He  did  not  stay  in  the  house 
half  an  hour." 

"Well!  Well!"  said  Mr.  Endy  as  he  seated  himself 
in  his  comfortable  office  chair,  which  they  'had  by  this 
time  reached.  "That  is  really  very  remarkable.  I  wonder 
what  brought  him  here.  But  perhaps  the  letter  will  tell 
me.    You  may  go,  Rollins,  I  will  ring  if  I  need  you." 

As  he  sat  there — leaning  back  and  apparently  looking 
at  the  burning  coals  cheerfully  blazing  in  the  open  grate, — 
Mr.  Endy  made  a  pleasant  picture  to  look  at,  and  the 
background  of  dark  wood  of  the  office  desk  and  shelves 
seemed  a  fitting  frame  for  him;  but  when  one  looked 
closely  at  the  picture  it  could  easily  be  seen  that  the  man 
was  not  having  an  enjoyable  time.  The  letter  which  he 
held  unopened  in  his  hand  appeared  to  have  been  forgot- 
ten— but,  in  reality,  he  was  thinking  of  nothing  else — and 
he  found  that  between  facing  his  son  and  opening  this 
letter  there  was  small  choice.  His  old  habit  of  attending 
promptly  to  all  business  helped  him  at  last,  and,  with  a 
quick  movement,  'he  tilted  the  chair  forward — reached  to 
the  desk  and  picked  up  the  silver  paperknife  which  always 
lay  there, — and  in  another  moment  the  knife  and  envelope 
were  on  the  desk  and  the  opening  words  of  the  letter  were 
staring  him  in  the  face.  Then  his  brain  took  in  the  mean- 
ing of  the  words  "My  Dear  Father!"  and  he  said,  "Thank 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  103 

God,"  and  tears  sprang  to  his  eyes  and,  for  a  time,  blinded 
him  so  that  he  could  not  see  to  read  what  followed;  but 
those  tears  did  not  fall,  for  to  cry  would  have  been  to  do 
a  thing  he  had  not  done  since  friends — over  ten  years 
before — had  carried  the  bodies  of  his  wife  and  daughter 
from  that  house. 

As  he  recovered  himself  he  took  up  the  paper  which 
had  fallen  to  his  knees  and  read: 

"My  Dear  Father: — I  would  say  something  about  the 
cruelty  of  the  method  of  the  punishment  you  have  inflicted 
on  me  if  I  did  not,  at  this  moment,  realize  that  you  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  view  of  my  action  that 
is  taken  by  the  papers,  is  the  true  one. 

"So  far  as  Arndt  is  concerned,  I  am  free  to  say  that  I 
expected  to  get  him  out  of  the  way  and  ruin  him,  one  way 
or  the  other; — for  this  I  express  no  regret.  He  is  my 
enemy.  I  lay  it  to  his  account  that  you  have  looked  upon 
my  action  as  an  attack  upon  your  mental  soundness.  I  am 
certain  that  he  influenced  you  to  this  view.  With  this 
idea  in  your  mind,  I  consider  that  the  means  you  have 
taken  to  defend  yourself  from  this  imputation,  have  not 
been  harsher  than  were  necessary;  but  I  am  going  to  pay 
the  man  who  put  that  idea  into  your  mind  if  it  takes  every 
dollar  I  have  and  every  day  of  my  life. 

"My  old  ambition  to  excel  others  is  still  as  strong  as 
ever,  and  I  also  hold  Arndt  accountable  for  the  fact  that, 
owing  to  the  publicity  of  his  case,  and  the  notoriety  gained 
for  me  by  it,  I  will  be  unable  to  gain  another  start  in  this 
country.  For  I  have  been  discharged  by  President  Crag- 
gie  who  holds  me  responsible  for  having  made  a  move  that 
gives  him  trouble — since  it  has  failed.  For  it  does  not  suit 
his  plans  to  have  the  labor  leaders  locked  up  at  this  time. 

"I'd  have  done  the  same  thing  in  his  place;  but,  in  my 
judgment,  he  is  making  a  mistake,  and  he  should  have 
helped  me  to  jail  Arndt  and  all  the  rest  of  the  leaders,  and 
then  have  secured  an  injunction  from  the  courts  and  com- 
pelled the  men  to  return  to  their  work  by  force  of  arms — 
if  necessary.  If  he  lives  long  enough  he  will  find  that 
sooner  or  later  he  is  going  to  have  to  give  in  to  the 
demands  of  the  men  or  adopt  this  or  a  similar  measure;  and 
this,  I  am  sure,  would  have  been  the  course  advised  at  the 


104  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

present  moment  by  all  the  younger  men  who  are  managing 
workers.  It  never  pays  to  put  off  harsh  measures.  You 
can't  control  slaves  except  by  force — and  the  Socialists 
are  perfectly  right  in  this  one  thing:  the  workers  are,  to 
all  effects  and  purposes,  neither  more  nor  less  than  our 
slaves.  Craggie  is  an  old  fossil,  or  he  would  at  this  stage 
of  the  game,  while  he  has  a  President  he  can  control,  use 
the  full  force  of  the  army  against  these  traitors.  But  Crag- 
gie thinks  that  money  will  buy  or  do  anything  and  every- 
thing. 

"But  this  is  not  what  I  started  out  to  say.  I  want  to 
assure  you  that  I  never  for  a  moment  realized  that  the 
view  which  you  take  of  my  action  was  the  one  even  implied 
in  the  matter.  It  flashed  on  me  for  the  first  time  this 
morning;  and,  while  I  regretted  it  very  much,  it  did  not 
seem  possible  to  stop  matters  then.  I  want  you  to  give  me 
your  assurance  that  you  believe  this  statement.  For  this 
purpose  I  will  send  you  my  address  in  Europe  as  soon  as 
I  have  settled.  If  you  cannot  believe  this  statement  of 
your  son,  who,  whatever  his  faults,  has  not  made  a  practice 
of  lying  to  you — except  when  business  demanded  it, — I 
assure  you  I  will  never  touch  a  dollar  of  the  money  you  so 
generously  left  me  by  the  will  which  caused  this  trouble. 

"I  shall  have  to  use  an  assumed  name.  I  have  also  to 
thank  Arndt  for  this.  I  shall  use  the  name  Walter  Griggs 
to  which,  since  it  was  my  Grandfather's,  I  have  a  sort  of 
right.  I  shall  leave  the  country  from  a  southern  port, 
since  I  am  too  well  known  in  the  North  to  make  it  com- 
fortable for  me  to  travel  there,  these  days. 

"You  can  tell  Arndt  what  I  say:  I  am  his  enemy  as 
long  as  there  is  breath  in  me — and,  if  possible,  afterwards. 

"He  has  ruined  my  life.  My  plans  were  all  made — 
they  were  working  out  finely  until  he  got  in  the  road. 

"With  love  to  you,  your  affectionate  son,  Robert." 

As  his  father  closed  this  remarkable  document  he 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  said,  "And  that  is  the  kind 
of  men  that  our  system  of  exclusive  advantages  for  a 
select  class  is  liable  to  turn  out.  I  hope  there  are  no  more 
just  like  him.  He  was  an  average  boy — neither  more  nor 
less ; — but  the  system  made  him  believe  that  he  was  extra- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  105 

ordinary:  and  this  is  the  result.  He  has  never  been  the 
same  since  he  came  back  from  that  select  school. 

'"I  am  thankful  though  that  his  love  for  me  survives; 
but  he  is  blaming  the  wrong  man,  for  it  is  certain  that  if 
any  one  is  to  be  held  responsible  today,  it  should  be  the 
man  who  yielded  to  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  on  him 
by  his  aristocratic  associates  and  took  his  son  out  of  the 
public  school  in  order  to  give  him  special  advantages,  and 
did  not  let  him  take  his  proper  place  in  the  world — and 
I  will  tell  him  so." 

He  reached  for  pen  and  paper  and  then  realized  that 
he  could  not  communicate  with  his  son  by  mail.  He  rang 
for  Rollins  and  asked  him  to  send  Arthur  to  him. 

Arthur,  who  had  been  with  Rollins  inspecting  the  man- 
sion and  getting  the  lay  of  the  land,  as  he  said,  came 
almost  immediately.  When  he  walked  into  the  office  he 
found  Mr.  Endy  in  the  act  of  burning  the  letter  Robert 
had  written; — but  the  envelope  was  inside  of  the  old  man's 
pocket,  nearest  his  heart,  and  enclosed  in  it  were  the  first 
and  last  lines  of  the  letter. 

"Mr.  Arthur,"  said  he,  "I  think  that  I  am  perfectly 
safe  at  this  place,  and  I  have  a  little  business  for  you.  It 
may  take  you  as  far  south  as  Galveston  or  New  Orleans. 
Here  is  a  photograph  of  my  son.  He  left  this  house  carry- 
ing a  small  hand-bag,  this  morning.  Rollins  will  tell  you 
how  he  was  dressed.  He  has  taken  the  publicity  caused 
by  the  trial  very  hard,  and  is  going  to  leave  the  country 
for  a  time.  For  the  present,  I.  also,  think  this  advisable; 
but  I  wish  to  communicate  with  him  before  he  sails.  He, 
probably  left  by  the  eight  o'clock  train  going  south.  His 
destination  is  Europe,  but  you  need  not  follow  further 
than  our  own  ports.  You  will  give  him  the  letter  which 
I  will  put  in  your  hands  within  half  an  hour.  After  deliver- 
ing it,  please  return  to  me." 

Arthur  said,  "Yes,  Sir;  but,  excuse  me,  Mr.  Endy, — 
I've  been  reading  the  papers  a  little, — and  I  think  you  had 
better  send  some  one  else." 

"Oh!  I  am  perfectly  saTe  here.  Why,  there  has  been 
newspaper  notoriety  enough  to  insure  my  safety.  You  are 
the  very  man  I  need  to  attend  to  this  other  business.  I  do 
not  wish  to  take  any  one  else  into  my  confidence  in  regard 


106  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

to  these  matters — you  understand.  I  thank  you,  however, 
for  the  suggestion." 

"As  to  that,  Mr.  Endy,  I  always  take  care  of  those 
whom  I  have  in  charge,  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  I  also 
obey  orders.    I  will  start  as  soon  as  the  letter  is  ready." 

So,  half  an  hour  afterwards,  Arthur  stepped  from  the 
side  door  of  the  mansion  with  the  letter  addressed  to  Mr. 
Walter  Griggs  in  his  pocket. 

As  Arthur  stepped  to  the  ground  he  was  confronted 
by  Arndt  who  had  left  the  inmates  of  the  house  he  for  the 
present  called  home  getting  along  as  well  as  could  be 
expected — to  use  the  phrase  the  physicians  love  so  well. 

Arndt  had  found  that  Rollins  had  made  such  com- 
plete arrangements  for  the  comfort  of  all  that  there  seemed 
to  be  nothing  'he  could  do  for  Nettie  except  to  send  her 
a  little  bunch  of  forget-me-nots  which  he  had  purchased 
in  the  city. 

Now,  as  he  grasped  the  hand  of  the  detective  he  noticed 
a  few  of  the  delicate  flowers  in  the  button  hole  of  his  coat 
and  he  remembered  that  the  sight  of  the  box  bearing  the 
florist's  name  had  caused  Mr.  Endy  to  say:  "Charlie,  you 
can  get  them  much  cheaper  at  my  greenhouse." 

Arthur,  noticing  the  direction  of  his  gaze,  had  his 
thought  diverted  and  said,  "Yes:  I've  already  been  to  the 
greenhouse  and  made  friends  with  the  Scotchman.  Ex- 
quisite, are  they  not.  They  are  my  favorite  flower."  A 
moment  before,  the  impulse  to  speak  to  Arndt  and  give 
him  a  word  of  caution  about  guarding  Mr.  Endy  had 
been  strong  upon  him,  but  in  this  unimportant  conversa- 
tion he  forgot  it  entirely,  and  after  a  moment's  pause  dur- 
ing which  he  asked  after  the  welfare  of  Miss  Nettie,  he 
passed  on. 

He  regretted  to  the  end  of  his  life  this  momentary 
lapse;  for  the  next  day  he  handed  to  Robert  Endy,  Jr. — 
whom  he  had  traced  southward  a  short  distance  and  then 
back  to  Clyde,  and  had  even  seen  at  the  window  of  his 
room  (but  so  much  changed  in  appearance  by  the  shaving 
off  of  his  beard  and  mustache  that  none  but  a  skilled  detec- 
tive would  have  recognized  him) — the  letter  entrusted  to 
his  care,  and  at  the  same  moment  he  said — with  emphasis 
— "Mr.  Endy!  You  are  my  prisoner!  I  arrest  you  for  the 
attempted  murder  of  your  father." 


CHAPTER  XL 

"But  when  to  mischief  mortals  bend  their  will 
How  soon  they  find  fit  instruments  of  ill." 

— Pope. 

We  must  now  return  to  Mr.  Craggie  who  although  not 
naturally  a  very  bright  man  was  not  a  fool,  even  if  Robert 
considered  him  one.  He  was  aware  that  the  strikers  had 
gained  two  important  advantages  and  also  knew  that  the 
time  for  taking  those  advantages  away  from  them  was  fast 
slipping  by.  So,  as  soon  as  he  had  disposed  of  Robert,  he 
called  imperiously  to  the  man  on  the  box,  'To  the  station 
as  fast  as  possible!" 

When  they  reached  the  car  he  stepped  on  board  and 
said  briskly,  "Mr.  Chambers,  have  we  any  news?" 

"Nothing,  Sir.  Court  will  not  open 'until  eight-thirty," 
said  the  secretary  quietly. 

"Have  we  a  clear  track?"  was  the  next  question,  snapped 
out  before  the  answer  was  finished. 

"Yes,  Sir,  certainly." 

"Then  let  us  be  off  at  full  speed.  We  must  be  in  Clyde 
when  that  court  meets.  There  must  be  no  more  blunders 
made." 

As  Chambers  was  about  to  make  a  motion  to  the  con- 
ductor (who  was  standing  on  the  track  outside  the  car  win- 
dow), Mr.  Craggie  said  hastily,  "Find  out,  first,  though, 
whether  Endy  has  sent  a  message  to  'his  attorney  in  Clyde, 
and  also  what  the  message  is.  If  he  has  obeyed  my  orders 
there  will  be  no  need  for  us  to  hurry.  His  crazv  old  father 
won't  have  telephone  connection  with  the  world — sticks  to 
his  old  private  telegraph,  you  know;— which  suits  me,  just 
now,  precisely." 

Without  a  word  Chambers  stepped  from  the  car  and 
walked  leisurely  to  the  telegraph  office,  and  on  the  way  he 
thought,  "Yes!  wanting  peace  and  quiet  is  a  sign  of  insan- 
ity."    As  he  entered  the  room  he  even  took  time  to  think 

107 


io8  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

as  he  heard  the  ticking  of  the  instrument,  "Well,  well,  no 
improvements  seem  to  be  able  to  permanently  relegate  the 
old  key  and  sounder  to  the  scrap  pile — at  least  so  far  as 
railroad  work  is  concerned,"  and  he  then  passed  around  the 
corner  of  the  desk  and  stood  behind  the  operator  who  was 
at  that  moment  sending  the  message  which  he  had  just 
received  by  telegraph  from  Robert. 

When  Chambers  passed  behind  the  desk  the  man,  with- 
out looking  up,  said  emphatically,  "No  admittance,"  and 
when  Chambers  paused  behind  him  he  quickly  threw  his 
hand  over  the  written  message;  but  when  he  looked  up  and 
saw  who  it  was  he  flushed  to  the  tips  of  his  ears  as  he  met 
the  man's  cool  gaze,  and  then  he  reluctantly  and  slowly 
drew  his  hand  away  and  went  on  sending.  But  he  was 
cursing,  inwardly,  the  conditions  which  made  him  such  a 
slave  that  he  did  not  dare  to  obey  even  the  rules  estab- 
lished by  the  very  company  that  employed  him. 

As  Chambers  passed  out,  the  man  at  the  instrument 
said  bitterly,  "If  I  didn't  have  a  wife  and  children  I'd  see 
whether  you  got  private  information  out  of  this  office. 
I'll  pay  you  back  for  this  degradation  some  day,  sure !" 

Chambers  did  not  hear  a  word  of  this;  but  when  he 
entered  the  car  he  repeated  what  he  had  read,  and  casually 
remarked,  "The  operator  at  Steelton  doesn't  give  informa- 
tion to  us  very  readily  or  very  willingly,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  I 
mentioned  his  case  before." 

"Make  a  note  of  it!"  said  Mr.  Craggie  savagely.  "I've 
a  little  influence  on  this  road  myself.  We'll  attend  to  his 
case  and  that  one  at  Clyde  at  the  same  time." 

The  result  of  which  was  that  that  evening,  as  the  oper- 
ator— tired  out  with  doing  three  men's  work — was  putting 
on  his  coat  to  go  home,  the  man  to  whom  he  had  turned 
over  the  key  said  to  him,  "Listen  to  this  Fred,  old  boy,"  and 
they  both  heard  the  words:  "Superintendent  of  Telegraph 
— Steelton  Division:  Discharge  Paisley,  day  operator  at 
Steelton.  Charge — incompetence.  Blacklist.  Banks,  Supt. 
Telegraph,"  ticked  out  letter  by  letter;  and  these  lying  and 
unjust  and  cruel  words  took  from  an  honest  man  the  means 
to  earn  his  living. 

The  president's  car  having  in  due  time  arrived  at  Clyde 
it  was  immediately  shifted  to  a  side  track,  and  it  was  not 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  109 

many  minutes  thereafter  when  Mr.  Craggie  and  lawyer 
Johnson,  the  elder,  were  talking  behind  closed  doors. 

No  sooner  was  the  click  of  the  latch  heard  than  Mr. 
Craggie  said,  "Well,  we  are  making  a  mess  of  things  these 
days;  and  the  trouble,  most  of  it,  seems  to  have  originated 
in  this  office." 

This  was  an  unexpected  blow  to  the  lawyer,  who,  if  he 
could  afford  to  be  independent  with  men  like  Mr.  Endy,  did 
not  like  to  think  of  the  loss  which  the  displeasure  of  such 
a  man  as  Mr.  Craggie  was  sure  to  cause  him.  So  he 
hastened  to  assure  that  gentleman — with  even  greater 
obsequiousness  than  even  he  demanded  from  his  clerks — 
that  he  certainly  had  been  misinformed. 

"I  am  not  usually  misinformed,  Mr.  Johnson!"  was  the 
curt  reply.  "Mr.  Endy  has  taken  no  pains  to  keep  back 
all  the  facts  in  this  case — quite  the  contrary,  I  can  assure 
you;  and  I  have  been  thinking — as  I  came  down  the  road — 
that  his  decision  to  remove  his  business  to  an  office  that 
doesn't  leak,  is  a  good  one." 

This  sentence  finished  up  all  the  manhood  that  was  left 
in  the  lawyer,  and  the  spectacle  that  he  made  of  himself 
disgusted  even  Mr.  Craggie — to  whom  a  certain  amount  of 
that  kind  of  thing  had  become  an  absolute  necessity ;  so  he 
stopped  him  with  the  question,  "No  news  yet  from  court?" 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  the  lawyer,  "case  is  dismissed  and 
defendant  released." 

"Good !     I  blocked  their  little  game  that  time." 

"You?" 

"Yes,  I;  and  no  one  else!" 

The  two  men  stood  looking  at  each  other  for  a  moment 
and  then  the  president  said:  "Now,  I  want  to  have  a  talk 
with  you.  We  had  better  go  on  the  car.  This  strike  is 
altogether  too  important  to  have  any  more  leakages." 

Mr.  Johnson  winced. 

So  it  was  not  very  long  before  they  arrived  at  the  car, 
and  then  Chambers  was  very  much  surprised  to  be  told  to 
remain  in  Clyde  and  follow  on  the  regular  train  until  he 
overtook  them. 

"Phew !"  said  he.  below  his  breath — as  he  busied  himself 
with  a  few  final  preparations — such  as  putting  the  work  he 
had  been  engaged  on  in  a  drawer  of  the  table,  etc. — "Phew ! 


no  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Things  are  getting  very  secret  indeed  when  I  cannot  hear 
them.  I  am  afraid  that  you  are  getting  too  confident  of 
your  ability  to  manage  things  without  suggestions  from 
yours  truly,  Mr.  President.  Really,  I  think  that  you  might 
as  well  have  trusted  me,  Mr.  Craggie." 

But  he  left  the  car  promptly  and  gave  his  orders  to  the 
conductor;  and  then  the  private  train  of  the  President  of 
the  Iron  and  Steel  Company  was  almost  instantly  in 
motion. 

Mr.  Craggie  stood  looking  from  the  door,  (and  he 
watched  Chambers  until  they  were  half  a  mile  down  the 
track),  and  then  he  closed  and  locked  the  door  and,  taking 
his  seat  at  the  side  of  the  table  he  usually  occupied  he 
turned  suddenly  to  his  visitor  and  said  sharply,  "Mr.  John- 
son! I  don't  think  that  many  men  in  the  United  States 
appreciate  the  gravity  of  the  situation.  This  is  probably 
the  final  struggle  of  organized  labor  with  capital.  If  we 
win  this  fight  we  can  give  every  working  man,  woman  and 
child  a  number,  and  they  will  have  to  work  when  we  say 
the  word — and  for  whatever  wages  we  choose  to  give  them, 
and  for  as  many  hours  at  a  time  as  we  care  to  demand. 

"The  man  who  can  do  all  that  can  do  anything  else  he 
wants  to.  The  man  who  can  do  all  that  and  anything  else 
he  wants  to — sits  before  you.  You  have  known  me  a  long 
time.  I  ask  you  to  look  backward  and  see  whether,  to 
your  knowledge,  I  have  ever  ultimately  failed  to  do  any- 
thing I  had  set  myself  to  accomplish." 

"You  are  right ;  you  certainly  have  accomplished  won- 
ders !"  Johnson  hastened  to  assent. 

"Very  good,  Mr.  Johnson !  Now,  I  do  not  intend  to 
brag;  but  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  make  a  decision  today, 
and  I  want  you  to  have  all  the  facts. 

"There  are  many  other  men  in  this  country  who  have 
millions.  I  have  control  of  enough  money,  besides  my 
own,  (which  is  more  than  any  other  individual's)  to  wipe 
their  fortunes  out  of  existence  whenever  I  wish  to  do  so. 
With  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  those  who  hold  govern- 
ment securities,  they  are  all  at  my  mercy,  through  the 
stock  exchange  and  the  many  other  agencies  I  control. 

"You  are  man  of  the  world  enough  to  know  that  my 
power  is  great,  and  I  could  demonstrate  that  every  iota 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  in 

of  my  assertion  is  true — if  we  had  time.     Is  it  necessary?" 

"Scarcely!     Please  proceed,"  was  the  succinct  reply. 

"Very  good,  then!  Now  this  strike  must  be  defeated. 
We  have  been  checkmated  twice,  and  I  want  you  to  remem- 
ber that  this  is  the  first  time  that  a  strike  has  even  been 
inaugurated  at  a  moment  when  we  were  not,  at  least,  par- 
tially prepared  for  it — and  most  of  the  times  we  had  nagged 
them  into  the  striking.  But  this  time — and  you  must  fully 
understand  this — we  thought  the  men  were  fooled  by  the 
temporary  increase  of  wages  and  had  given  up  the  fight 
about  the  numbers,  and  because  of  this  delusion  we  had 
failed  to  sign  the  wage  scale  for  this  year,  for  the  reason 
that,  the  election  being  over  and  those  placed  in  power  who 
will  do  as  I  direct,  we  did  not  intend  to  make  any  more  con- 
tracts with  the  men  singly  or  in  a  body;  it  will  be  to  our 
advantage  hereafter  to  hire  and  pay  each  man  by  the  week 
so  as  to  be  able  to  drop  him  at  any  time.  Then,  since 
there  are  almost  as  many  unemployed  as  employed  men, 
these  days — Oh,  well,  you  know  what  that  means  to  us. 
Therefore  we  were  on  the  point  of  extending  the  number- 
ing system  to  all  the  other  divisions  of  the  company's 
works;  afterward  it  would  inevitably  have  been  forced  on 
every  workingman  in  the  United  States  and,  perhaps,  in 
the  world — for  I  have  a  pretty  good  understanding  with  the 
continental  rulers." 

Johnson  interrupted :  "Excuse  me,  you  have  forgotten 
the  farmers." 

And  then  the  president  smiled,  and  Mr.  Johnson  laughed 
aloud.  And  Mr.  Craggie  said,  "Poor  fools!  We  don't 
need  to  number  them.  We  already  own  them.  They  sup- 
port the  world  and  have  to  take  anything  we  choose  to  give 
them  and  pay  anything  we  please  to  charge  them  for  every- 
thing they  use;  and  also,  there  are  quite  a  number  who  owe 
us  so  much  on  mortgages  on  their  property  that  if  we  fore- 
closed we  could  own  absolutely  a  large  portion  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  country;  and  we  don't  do  it  today,  because  we 
get  more  as  interest  than  we  would  get  as  rent.  So  long 
as  a  farmer  thinks  that  he  owns  his  home  and  farm  he 
will  take  better  care  of  them  than  a  renter  would.  Besides, 
in  this  we  save  the  cost  of  agents  to  watch  the  properties. 


ii2  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Oh,"   and  then  they  both  laughed  outright,   "the   farmers 
are  the  biggest  fools  of  all." 

Then  the  lawyer  said,  "I  think  that  you  have  omitted 
the  greatest  reason  for  leaving  them  in  their  present  condi- 
tion. If  we  do  not  cause  them  trouble,  directly  and  openly, 
they  will  not  aid  the  other  workers.  At  least,  now  they 
never  do." 

"Right!"  said  Mr.  Craggie;  "Chambers  pointed  that 
out  to  me  years  ago.  Chambers  is  a  smart  man;  but  the 
heads  that  planned  this  strike  are  not  empty,  by  any  man- 
ner of  means;  and  it  is  my  impression  that  those  same  men 
will  not  let  the  strikers  make  the  usual  mistake  of  destroy- 
ing property,  either. 

"So,  now  I  think  you  can  understand  the  seriousness 
of  the  situation.  Three  hundred  thousand  workers  in  iron 
and  steel  are  out  today.  They  are  obeying  the  commands 
of  three  men  whom  we  cannot  buy  (for  we've  tried  that); 
they  are  aided  and  advised  by  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of 
the  country.  The  old  methods  don't  seem  to  fit  now. 
Injunctions  have  had  their  day — if  for  no  other  reason, 
then  because  the  Judges  refuse  to  grant  them  on  the 
usual  grounds.  They  say  plainly  that  it  is  not  good  law ; 
but  the  fact  is  they  are  scared,  and  the  worst  of  it  is  that 
they  are  not  scared  by  the  people,  but  by  the  growing 
wealth  and  power  of  a  few  men  like  myself. 

"Now,  you  know  that  when  I  have  an  attorney,  to  state 
to  him  all  the  facts  has  always  been  my  practice.  This  aid 
given  by  old  Endy  is  the  severest  blow  we  have  ever  had. 
There  are  numbers  of  the  holders  of  great  wealth  who  have 
either  become  tender  hearted — at  what  they  call  the  suffer- 
ing of  the  poor —  or  are  scared  for  the  same  reason  that 
weakens  the  judges.  If  Endy  is  allowed  to  go  on  they 
will  rally  to  his  side  and  aid  the  strikers ;  and  I  will  tell  you 
another  thing,  Mr.  Johnson,  if  you  don't  look  to  your  laurels 
that  young  man  Chandler  is  going  to  make  you  take  a  back 
seat  at  the  bar." 

Johnson  laughed  amusedly,  and  the  other  man  went  on 
as  if  he  had  not  noticed  the  interruption. 

"I've  been  watching  him  for  some  time,  and  if  he  could 
have  been  bought  he  would  be  retained  at  this  moment  as 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  113 

your  associate  counsel.  Yes;  you  need  not  start,"  as  the 
lawyer  drew  himself  up  hastily. 

"We  must  have  the  best  brains  and  ability  obtainable; 
but  we  must  also  be  able  to  control  them,  and  Mr.  Chandler 
— while  I  think  him  a  fool  for  his  pains — is  honestly  work- 
ing for  the  men  for  something  besides  money  or  fame.  So, 
that  disposes  of  him.  One  can  do  nothing  with  these 
fanatics. 

"But  I  can  tell  you,  with  the  chance  he  had  at  you  today 
if  he  had  had  an  opportunity  to  deliver  the  speech  I  am 
sure  he  would  have  made,  you  would  now  be  second  best 
man  at  the  bar,  instead  of  first. 

"Now,  then,  add  to  these  facts  the  other  one  that  we 
don't  know  how  much  they've  got  in  their  treasury,  and  I 
think  that  you  and  I  will  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  public 
and  some  reward  if  we  manage  to  end  this  strike — without 
— anybody — being — killed." 

These  last  words  were  spoken  slowly  and  deliberately, 
and  again  Mr.  Johnson  winced. 

Every  syllable  of  this  talk  had  been  spoken  impressively 
and  in  a  loud  voice.  After  saying  these  ominously  ambig- 
uous words  Mr.  Craggie  paused  and  closely  examined  his 
companion's  face;  but,  as  Mr.  Johnson  made  no  sign,  he 
continued  in  a  very  low  tone,  "I  have  a  plan  about  which  I 
want  your  advice — and  your  aid  in  its  execution." 

At  this  point  he  spoke  so  low  and  leaned  forward  so 
close  to  the  lawyer  that  a  man  five  feet  away  from  them 
could  not  have  heard  a  word  he  said. 

At  last  he  raised  his  voice  and  remarked,  "And  if  things 
don't  go  smoothly,  and  don't  work  out  just  as  we  want 
them  to,  we  have  always  young  Endy  on  hand  to  act  as 
scapegoat  for  us.  He  deserves  some  punishment  for  the 
mess  that  he  got  us  into,  anyway.  That  is  my  plan,  and 
unless  you  have  something  better  to  advise  I  think  we  will 
be  compelled  to  use  it." 

After  waiting  for  a  few  moments,  during  which  his  com- 
panion seemed  to  be  thinking  deeply,  Mr.  Craggie  said 
impatiently,  "Have  you  nothing  to  suggest?"  and  then  the 
attorney  replied. 

"No,  Sir,  I  have  not.  I  am  accounted  a  good  lawyer, 
and  I  always  try  to  advise  for  the  best  interest  of  my 


ii4  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

client,  and  my  advice  to  you,  today  would  be  to  give  up  the 
contest  at  this  point — unless  you  think  you  can  exhaust 
their  treasury  or  can  nag  them  into  open  antagonism  to 
the  general  government,  and  then  defeat  them  by  force  of 
arms.  I  myself  think  that  they  should  be  considered  trait- 
ors and  dealt  with  as  such ;  they  have  no  right  to  tamper 
with  the  prosperity  of  the  country.  Or  it  may  be  that  their 
treasury  will  be  soon  exhausted,  for  I  don't  anticipate  that 
many  rich  men  will  furnish  them  much  but  sympathy — and 
that,  you  know,  doesn't  fill  empty  stomachs. 

"You  might  try  shutting  down  all  the  other  works 
which  you  control,  and  so  cut  off  the  aid  the  strikers 
are  sure  to  get  from  them,  and  by " 

But  the  president  stopped  him:  "That  was  tried  last 
time  at  Chicago  and  there  was  such  a  howl,  even  from  those 
papers  we  thought  we  controlled,  at  that  and  at  my  threat 
to  remove  our  plant  from  any  town  or  city  that  gave  aid  to 
the  strikers,  that  I  won't  try  either  of  those  moves  again 
unless  virtually  compelled  to.  For  we  must  have  the 
sympathy  and  moral  support  of  the  middle  class;  and 
those  moves  touched  their  pocketbooks. 

"As  I  said,  we  must  have  the  sympathy  of  the  middle 
class — we  used  to  have  that  permanently  by  their  thinking 
that  they  would  one  day  become  rich  men  themselves;  but 
since  our  methods  have  reduced  so  many  of  the  well-to-do 
and  rich  to  poverty,  why,  of  course,  they  are  not  absolute 
fools,  and  they  can  no  longer  be  depended  on,  not  on  that 
ground.  And  then  again,  they  always  came  over  to  our 
side  as  soon  as  some  of  their  property  was  destroyed;  but, 
if  the  strikers  are  going  to  shoot  to  kill  when  they  are  act- 
ing as  deputies — as  I  see  by  the  posters  sent  out  by  the 
committee — it  will  not  be  so  easy  to  manage  that  in  the  old 
way  either." 

"No,"  said  Mr.  Johnson,  "and  I  want  to  remark  right 
here  that,  in  my  opinion,  the  very  worst  thing  that  could 
happen  to  the  company  today  would  be  either  the  death  or 
sudden  disappearance  of  any  of  the  labor  leaders  or  Mr. 
Endy  and,  personally,  I  would  deplore  it  very  much." 

This  was  said  as  slowly  and  deliberately  as  the  president 
had  previously  spoken;  and  he,  after  looking  at  his  com- 
panion for  a  full  minute,  said,  "Certainly,  certainly!      No 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  115 

one  could  deplore  that  more  than  I.  It  would  spell  ruin 
for  us;  but  1  think  my  plan  could  be  made  to  work — if 
carried  out  carefully — without  either  of  those  things  hap- 
pening. When  I  spoke  of  anybody  being  killed  I,  of 
course,  referred  to  the  possibility  of  this  strike  ending  in  a 
civil  war.  If  they  rebel  we  can  crush  them  easily,  and  I 
was  prepared  to  have  them  strike,  and  to  have  something 
of  the  kind  occur,  next  spring  when  we  were  going  to 
extend  the  numbering  system  and  reduce  wages  at  the 
same  moment.  I  was  certain  that  that  committee  of  three 
(which  they  thought  to  keep  me  in  ignorance  of),  was  only 
waiting  to  collect  funds.  Their  securing  the  aid  of  Endy 
is  what  upset  my  calculations.  Next  spring  I  would  have 
been  ready  for  them;  our  contracts  would  have  been  filled, 
and  as  prices  are  already  declining,  we  would  then  rather 
have  closed  down,  for  say  six  months,  than  not.  There 
ought  to  be  a  law  to  string  up  men  like  Endy  as  a  traitor  to 
his  class — though,  of  course,  I  hope  that  nothing  will  hap- 
pen to  permanently  injure  him." 

"Oh,  I  understand,  of  course,  that  is  quite  another  mat- 
ter," said  the  lawyer.  "It  really  looks  to  me  as  though 
Mr.  Endy  is  certainly  already  not  quite  level-headed  or  he 
would  not  want  to  aid  those  men  who  are  working  against 
the  interest  of  his  own  class.  I  have  absolutely  no  sym- 
pathy with  him.  And,  by  the  way,  I  remember  that  Arthur 
was  with  him  at  my  office  yesterday." 

"Botheration!"  said  the  president.  "Well,  Arthur  must 
just  be  sent  on  other  business;  I've  a  little  influence  at  his 
headquarters,  also;  and,  anyhow,  you  will  need  time  to 
get  the  man  I  must  have  in  communication  with  me."  And 
then  he  added,  significantly,  "I  knotv  that  your  side  used 
him  in  the  Hotchiss  will  case  last  week." 

The  lawyer  turned  pale  as  he  met  the  other's  look,  who 
then  said,  "We  will  try  this  plan  first.  If  we  don't  suc- 
ceed in  ending  the  strike  our  way  in  one  month  we  will 
try  some  way  of  dealing  with  the  labor  leaders.  I  am 
determined  to  win  this  fight.  I  have  money — more  than  I 
can  use.  What  I  want  is  power.  As  president  of  these 
consolidated  companies  these  men  have  defied  me  and 
my  power,  and  until  the  works  are  running  again,  and  oper- 
ated by  men  every  one  of  whom  wears  his  number,  there 


Ii6  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

will  be  a  power  in  the  United  States  greater  than  I.  The 
presidency  of  the  United  States,  did  you  say,  Mr.  John- 
son? Why,  my  dear  Sir,  who  is  the  greater,  the  man  who 
orders  or  the  man  who  carries  out  orders.  What  happened 
to  Garfield  when  he  refused  to  let  others  dictate  to  him,  and 
to  McKinley  when  he  went  back  on  protection,  and  to  the 
Czar  of  Russia  when  he  was  about  to  grant  a  constitution 
to  his  people?     Remarkable  coincidences,  eh?" 

"No,  no!"  expostulated  the  lawyer,  "those  men  were 
killed  by  crazy  persons  and  anarchists." 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course!  the  actual  killing  was,"  said  Mr. 
Craggie  hastily;  "but  I  have  a  theory  that  when  a  man 
gets  to  be  hated  or  even  disliked  hard  enough  by  a  large 
number,  or  an  influential  enough  crowd,  it  creates  a  moral 
atmosphere  which  is  liable  to  affect  the  brains  of  some 
crank  or  other.  And  then,  the  anarchists  are  always  with 
us.  Anyway,  they  don't  provide  nearly  enough  protection 
for  a  president  to  make  me  wish  to  do  the  bossing  openly. 
I  can  always  find  some  small  calibre  fellow  who  is  more 
than  willing  to  take  the  risks  for  the  sake  of  being  my 
mouthpiece;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  there  will  be  some 
other  office  at  the  head  of  this  government  when  I  want  it. 
No;  it  suits  me  exactly  as  it  is.  We  don't  want  to  over- 
turn the  form  of  this  government  violently  or  any  other 
way — not  at  present;  that  would  cause  trouble,  and  it  is 
working  to  suit  such  men  as  you  and  I  precisely,  as  it  is. 
There  is  no  other  country  where  they  turn  out  rich  men 
so  fast  or  make  them  quite  so  rich  and  powerful,  either." 

Here  he  looked  out  of  the  window  and  seeing  a 
station  in  the  distance  he  pulled  the  bell  cord,  and  as  they 
slowed  up  he  said,  "Good-bye,  Mr.  Johnson;  send  the  man 
as  soon  as  possible.    We  have  no  time  to  lose." 

"All  right,"  said  the  lawyer  as  he  stepped  from  the  car. 

And  then  the  president  called  after  him,  "No;  it  isn't 
'good-bye,'  yet.  I  must  wait  here  for  Chambers ;  and  that 
express  will  be  a  good  hour  behind  us.  I  am  going  on  as 
soon  as  he  arrives,  and  we  may  as  well  improve  the  time  by 
having  a  good  meal.  I  did  not  have  a  cook  on  board  when 
we  started  last  night — couldn't  wait  for  him;  but  we  can  get 
a  first  class  lunch  right  here." 

So  together  the  two  men  left  the  car  and  entered  the 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  117 

railroad  restaurant,  where  their  conversation  was  on  gen- 
eral topics  exclusively. 

During  the  hour's  delay  the  express  on  which  Chambers 
was  following  the  president  arrived;  but,  as  Mr.  Johnson's 
train  was  behind  time,  Mr.  Craggie  remained  with  him ; 
nor  did  he  take  leave  of  him  until  the  train  was  in  motion, 
and  then  Mr.  Craggie  hurried  to  his  own  car. 

As  Johnson  dropped  wearily  into  his  comfortable  seat 
in  the  parlor  car  he  muttered,  below  his  breath  and  with  a 
twinkle  of  amusement  in  his  eyes:  "Who  would  have 
thought  it!  The  man  who  has  a  world-wide  reputation 
for  taciturnity  does  become  as  voluble  as  a  school  girl!  But, 
what  can  one  expect;  a  man  can't  keep  bottled  up  all  the 
time.  I  suspect  he  has  talked  just  that  way  to  Chambers 
more  than  once." 

In  the  meantime  the  secretary  had  entered  the  car  and 
unlocked  the  drawer  in  the  desk  and  removed  a  cylinder 
from  the  small  machine  and  looked  closely  at  it,  and  after 
a  moment  he  said,  "Cylinder  is  full.  By  Jove!  I  wonder 
what  went  wrong  where  that  blank  space  is.  I'll  have  to 
get  this  down  in  writing  as  soon  as  possible." 

He  then  placed  the  cylinder  in  a  small  box  especially 
prepared  for  it  from  which  he  took  another  cylinder  which 
he  carefully  fitted  in  the  machine,  and  this  he  then  thought- 
fully locked  in  the  drawer. 

The  box  he  placed  in  the  hand-bag  which  he  stood  care- 
fully down  in  a  corner  of  the  car  where  he  could  keep  his 
eye  upon  it. 

He  had  just  taken  his  seat  again  when  he  heard  the 
president's  step  in  the  wash  room;  and  when  that  gentle- 
man entered  the  office  apartment  Chambers  was  busily 
engaged  at  the  typewriter,  but  stopped  for  a  moment  and 
said,  "Operators  at  Steelton  and  Clyde  are  discharged." 

"Very  good!"  said  Mr.  Craggie. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"Beyond   the    infinite   and   boundless    reach 
Of  mercy,  If  thou  didst  this  deed  of  death 
Art  thou  damn'd." 

— Shakespeare. 

As  the  detective  took  leave  of  him  Arndt  stepped  to 
the  door  which  Rollins  was  still  holding  open  for  him,  and 
as  he  shook  hands  with  the  faithful  old  servant  he  gave  him 
encouraging  news  in  regard  to  Nettie. 

Instead  of  going  with  him  Rollins  detained  Arndt  and 
said,  "Mr.  Endy  left  word  that  whenever  you  came  you 
would  find  him  in  the  office,  and  that  I  was  to  show  you 
about  the  house  before  you  went  to  him ;  but  I  told  him 
that  you  knew  this  house  as  well  as  he  did — having  been  all 
over  it  many  times  with  Mr.  Robert,  when  you  were  boys 
together.  He  was  pleased;  but  he  said,  'Well,  well!  men  in 
active  business  seem  to  know  pretty  much  everything  that 
is  going  on  in  the  world  except  what  is  occurring  in  their 
own  homes,'  and  I  guess  he  is  correct — he  mostly  is,"  con- 
cluded the  old  man  musingly.  Then  recollecting  himself, 
"Now  you  are  free  of  this  house,  and  I  am  glad  of  it." 

"Thank  you,  Rollins,  I  will  see  Mr.  Endy  at  once,  as 
I  have  not  long  to  stay." 

When  he  entered  the  office  he  heard  his  friend  whistling, 
and  the  cheerful  tone  of  his  voice  as  he  said,  "Glad  to  see 
you,  Charlie,"  convinced  Arndt  at  once  that  the  dreaded 
interview  had  turned  out  unexpectedly  well— at  least  for  the 
father.  So  he  was  not  surprised  at  the  news  which  the  lat- 
ter told  him,  and  only  said — in  regard  to  the  threats  Robert 
had  made  and  about  which  his  father  felt  it  his  duty  to 
inform  Arndt — "He  is  your  son,  Sir,  and  therefore  not  the 
man  to  resort  to  personal  violence;  he  will  probably  try  to 
ruin  me  financially  or  discredit  me  with  the  Union;  but  I 
hope  that  we  can  parry  his  blows;  and,  if  he  is  going  to 
Europe,  we  will  have  no  trouble  for  a  while.  I  hope  he 
will  know  me  better  before  he  returns. 

118 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  119 

"I  would  like  to  remain  and  talk  with  you,  but  I  am 
obliged  to  meet  the  Union  this  afternoon.  They  are 
entitled  to  know  how  matters  are  proceeding,  and  the  two 
other  members  of  the  committee  will  be  anxious  to  hear 
from  me.  We  must  devise  some  means  of  employment  for 
the  men.  Whether  there  is  anything  in  the  idea  about 
Satan,  I,  for  one,  doubt;  but  I  know  that  the  rest  of  the 
line  that  says,  'Satan  still  some  mischief  finds  for  idle  hands 
to  do,'  has  a  good  foundation  in  fact. 

"PresidentTrueman  of  the  Union,  whom  I  saw,  (Oh, 
yes,  he  was  in  Clyde,  and  Chandler  and  I  parted  from  him 
only  at  the  door  of  the  court  house — This  in  answer  to  a 
look  from  Mr.  Endy)  said  that  while  there  had  been  no 
trouble  anywhere  yet,  still  the  great  work  of  the  local 
branches  must  be  put  into  this  matter  of  employment  and 
amusement;  and  he  thinks  if  we  can  keep  the  men  from  get- 
ting into  mischief  or  discontented  we  will  win  this  strike; 
and  he  hopes  that,  if  won,  it  will  be  the  last  strike — and  it 
must  be  won  by  sheer  force  of  public  opinion. 

"The  way  things  have  been  going,  so  far,  he  said,  could 
not  be  bettered;  and  I  think  that  we  will  have  less  trouble 
than  usual,  since  even  the  youngest  and  most  thoughtless 
members  of  the  Union  seem  to  realize  the  importance  of 
keeping  everything  quiet. 

"Chandler  says  we  must  have  the  laws  on  our  side;  that 
the  laws  are  mostly  right,  and  that  we  must  not  allow  our- 
selves to  be  aggravated  into  breaking  them.  He  is  par- 
ticularly emphatic  about  that  point.  He  savs  he  will  guar- 
antee us  victory  if  we  will  keep  down  the'  destruction  of 
property— and  hold  out.  My  own  idea  is  that  a  great  many 
of  the  laws  are  all  wrong — having  been  placed  on  the  statute 
books  by  the  power  of  money;  but  Chandler  insists  that 
the  trouble  all  lies  in  the  unjust  interpretations  placed  on 
those  laws  by  judges  who  are  more  often  swaved  bv  public 
opinion  than  by  money.  At  anv  rate,  we 'will  have  to 
keep  wide  awake  almost  all  the  time,  dav  and  night,  to 
head  off  Mr.  Craggie.  He  is  apt  to  be  on  his  mettle  by  this 
time ;  and  he  keeps  the  rails  hot— these  days.  Thev  say  that 
the  time  he  made  in  coming  from  Pittsburg  to  Clyde  beat 
the  world's  record  for  fast  traveling." 


120  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"The  way  he  goes  about  regardless  of  others'  rights 
should  not  be  permitted,"  said  his  hearer  earnestly. 

"That  will  come  to  an  end,  soon,  I  think.  I  was  much 
pleased  to  hear  quite  a  lot  of  kicking  at  Clyde  about  the 
way  regular  trains  are  delayed  in  order  to  give  him  the  right 
of  way.  Even  twenty  years  ago  he  could  not  have  done 
that ;  and,  if  we  win,  it  is  certain  that  he  nor  any  other  private 
individual  will  hereafter  be  able  to  do  it.  But  Mr.  Voss 
is  his  creature — as  he  was  practically  elected  to  his  position 
by  Mr.  Craggie.     Well,  I  must  be  going!" 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Endy,  "as  soon  as  I  get  a  little 
lunch  I  am  intending  to  run  down  and  call  on  Nettie  and 
your  sister.  Come  to  me  tomorrow,  if  you  can  find  time. 
I  have  some  plans  I  want  to  discuss  with  you." 

"Very  good,  Sir,"  said  Arndt,  and  left  the  house. 

The  remaining  hours  of  this,  Friday  evening,  and  until 
almost  midnight,  were  spent  by  Arndt  in  the  committee 
room  of  the  Union.  A  strike  involving  what  this  one  did 
takes  thought  and  careful  management,  and  it  is  not  always 
easy  for  three  men  to  agree  as  to  what  is  best  to  be  done, 
even  in  small  matters. 

When  Arndt  left  the  room  he  said  good-night  to  his 
companions  at  the  outside  door  of  the  building  and  walked 
briskly — for  the  night  was  cold — toward  the  river  road. 

Now  the  shortest  way  to  his  destination  lay  right 
through  the  Endy  grounds,  and  the  gates  of  this  place  had 
not  been  closed  in  ten  years;  but,  of  course,  as  these 
grounds  were  private  property  the  public  did  not  pass 
through  them.  And  so  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  pleasure 
that  he  felt  himself  at  liberty  to  walk  along  under  those 
beautiful  trees,  which  although  now  bare  of  leaves  were 
still  an  ornament  to  the  place;  and  as  he  strode  swiftly  over 
the  smooth  paths  he  thought,  "If  it  did  not  mean  so  much 
injustice  and  such  deadening  of  manhood  it  would  certainly 
be  nice  to  feel  oneself  the  owner  of  such  a  place.  Maybe, 
in  time  to  come,  when  things  are  straightened  out  and 
each  man  is  receiving  his  just  share  of  the  proceeds  of  his 
labor,  many  more  may  rightfully,  and  with  an  easy  mind, 
possess  such  places,  but,  of  course,  in  miniature,  as  the 
world  is  not  large  enough  to  give  many  of  us  such  a  slice 
as  this.     I  am  going  to  suggest  to  Mr.  Endy  that  he  allow 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  121 

the  public  to  walk  through  here;  it  will  be  good  discipline 
for  the  people  to  learn  to  enjoy  their  privileges  at  the  same 
time  that  they  learn  to  respect  his  legal  rights." 

Busy  with  these  thoughts  he  had  taken  the  wrong  turn- 
ing at  one  of  the  numerous  curves  in  the  path,  and  when 
the  moon  came  out  he  found  himself  on  the  road  that  led 
directly  past  the  mansion. 

"Psha!"  said  he  aloud.  "Looks  as  if  I  will  have  to  learn 
the  place  over  again.  I  might  as  well  have  gone  around 
the  outside;  been  home  just  as  quick.  Well,  I  will  go 
right  on  till  I  meet  the  main  carriage  drive  and  that  will 
take  me  straight  home." 

The  night  was  so  dark — when  the  moon  was  behind  the 
heavy,  snow-laden  clouds — that  he  came  opposite  to  the 
mansion  without  noticing  where  he  was ;  but  as  he  stepped 
from  the  gravel  walk  on  the  turf — in  order  to  make  a  short 
cut  to  the  carriage  drive — he  detected  the  sound  of  another 
footstep  besides  his  own.  It  was  close  behind  him,  and, 
instinctively,  he  dodged — making  a  quick  movement  to  one 
side,  and  probably  in  that  movement  saved  his  life;  for  the 
blow  aimed  at  him  from  behind,  barely  grazed  the  side  of 
his  head  and  did  him  no  injury  except  to  cause  uncon- 
sciousness for  the  time — and  a  very  sore  head  for  a  great 
while  longer. 

As  he  lay  on  the  ground,  only  stunned  for  the  moment, 
his  assailant  advanced  towards  him  saying,  "I'll  make  sure 
of  you  anyhow,  young  fellow.  You  aren't  going  to  order 
your  men  to  shoot  to  kill,  without  paying  for  it." 

The  last  half  of  the  sentence  was  distinctly  heard  by 
Arndt;  but,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  his  memory  recorded 
the  words,  his  brain  did  not  take  in  their  meaning  until 
afterwards — and  now  only  busied  itself  with  repeating  the 
sentence  over  and  over  again.  The  sense  of  his  danger 
seemed  swallowed  up  in  the  mental  operation,  and  the 
assassin  would  undoubtedly  have  accomplished  his  purpose 
if  there  had  not  at  this  moment  been  heard  a  terrible  cry 
of  pain  coming  from  the  house  and  Arndt's  assailant 
paused. 

Then,  as  another  man  rushed  from  the  house,  out  of 
the  front  door,  close  to  where  Arndt  was  lying,  the  person 


122  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

who  had  felled  him  turned  and  fled  as  fast  as  his  feet  would 
carry  him. 

That  cry  restored  Arndt  to  the  full  possession  of  his 
faculties  and  he  was  instantly  in  the  house  saying  loudly, 
"Rollins!  Rollins!"  and  feeling  for  the  place  to  turn  on  the 
electric  current. 

Stopping  where  he  thought  the  knob  ought  to  be  he 
groped  about  for  a  moment,  and  then  as  his  hand  touched 
it,  the  hall  was  flooded  with  light  and  the  servants  rushed 
in. 

Nothing  appeared  to  be  wrong  within  sight  and  they — 
Rollins  and  Arndt — hastened  to  the  only  room  whose  occu- 
pant had  not  already  appeared.  This  room  was  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  mansion,  and  outside  the  windows  of 
the  adjoining  room  (which  was  Mr.  Endy's  study)  was  an 
open  balcony  surrounded  by  a  railing  of  ornamental  iron 
work,  and  the  whole  balcony  was  virtually  surrounded  by 
the  limbs  of  the  ancient  oak  that  stood  some  distance  from 
the  main  building — many  of  its  limbs  having  been  trimmed 
away  to  make  place  for  the  balcony.  It  was  this  fact  that 
had  caused  Arthur's  uneasiness ;  for  he  knew  that  a  pane  of 
plate  glass  is  no  protection — especially  where  access  could 
be  so  readily  gained  to  it.  When  Rollins  and  Arndt 
reached  the  bedroom  they  found  the  door  to  it  standing 
wide  open — propped  back  with  a  chair — and  within,  lying 
insensible  on  the  floor,  they  found  Robert  Endy,  Senior, 
and  the  blood  was  flowing  from  an  ugly  wound  on  his 
head. 

To  quickly  place  the  insensible  man  on  his  bed  and 
dispatch  a  servant  for  Doctor  Kenedy  was  the  work  of  a 
moment.  Rollins  busied  himself  with  the  water  and 
towels,  and  Arndt — who  was  still  feeling  shaky — sat  down, 
and  then  thought  to  request  the  servants  to  not  touch  any- 
thing about  the  place  until  the  detectives  arrived.  Then  he 
himself  looked  about  the  room  but  found  nothing  until 
Rollins  called  him  and  showed  a  small  bunch  of  black  hairs 
grasped  tightly  in  the  clenched  fingers  of  the  unconscious 
man.  These  he  instructed  Rollins  to  leave  just  where  he 
found  them. 

While  waiting  for  the  doctor  and  the  detectives  Arndt 
had  time  to  consider  things  a  little ;  and  as  he  smoked  a 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  123 

cigar  in  the  library  he  reviewed  all  that  had  occurred  and 
finally  said  to  himself,  "Well,  we  all  need  to  learn  a  whole 
lot,  yet.  I  never  once  thought  of  danger  from  that  quar- 
ter; yet  what  could  be  more  natural.  These  men  of  the 
lowest  class  (whom  I  pity  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
for  they,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  us,  are  the  product  of  the 
times  in  which  we  live  and  are  the  direct  result  of 
hereditary  influences  and  their  environment — )  these  men, 
are  more  the  foe  of  the  middle  class  than  they  are  of  the 
rich.  A  rich  man's  house  or  bank  or  store  is  rarely 
burglarized,  for  they  are  able  to  pay  for  protection.  More- 
over, I  believe  that  we  would  find  the  majority  of  the  vic- 
tims of  the  murderer  among  the  poor  and  not  among  the 
rich — and  that,  also,  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  difference 
in  numbers  between  the  rich  and  the  poor.  Why!  when  I 
come  to  think  of  it,  it  is  a  fact  that  a  thug  would  probably 
get  more  out  of  my  pocketbook  at  this  moment  than  he 
would  out  of  Mr.  Craggie's — for  Craggie  rarely  pays  for 
anything  at  the  time  he  buys  it — his  credit  is  unlimited  and 
he  handles  almost  no  cash  at  all.  And,  besides,  if  the  thug 
knocked  me  down  and  robbed  me,  there  would  not  be  much 
of  a  row;  but  if  it  were  Mr.  Craggie,  the  earth  wouldn't 
have  a  hole  secret  or  deep  enough  to  hide  the  man  in. 
Why,  this  is  the  reason  the  rich  are  not  scared  at  the  ter- 
rible increase  of  the  class  that  refuses  to  work.  They  don't 
prey  upon  the  rich,  but  upon  the  workingman  and  the 
man  of  moderate  means. 

"Now,  in  the  history  of  every  strike  in  the  past  one  can 
clearly  read  that  this  class — together  with  the  less  intelli- 
gent among  our  own  men — have  always  been  the  indirect 
cause  of  our  defeat.  They  are  our  natural  enemy,  and  since 
that  order  to  shoot  to  kill,  why,  of  course,  they  see  that 
we  are  beginning  to  realize  it;  and,  as  the  big  corpora- 
tions will  have  to  bear  the  blame  for  anv  murders  that  take 
place  during  the  strike— if  they  can't  shift  the  blame  on  to 
us — these  fellows  expect  for  a  certainty  to  go  free  without 
even  a  shadow  of  suspicion. 

"Well,  I'll  not  say  anything  about  this  except  to  our 
own  leaders;  and  so  these  men  will  not  be  put  on  their 
guard.  I'm  sorry  for  them,  but  we  will  be  more  certain, 
now  than  ever,  to  shoot  to  kill." 


124  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

At  this  point  Doctor  Kenedy  arrived  and  Arndt  went 
with  him  to  Mr.  Endy's  room.  As  soon  as  the  physician 
saw  his  patient  he  said  to  Arndt:  "Send  for  King,  and 
arrange  for  a  special  to  bring  him  out  at  once;  this  is 
serious — the  shock  alone  is  enough  to  kill  a  man  of  his 
age." 

After  he  had  given  the  necessary  orders  to  Rollins  and 
while  he  was  assisting  Kenedy  to  the  best  of  his  ability, 
Arndt  thought,  "They  talk  about  the  equality  of  the  rich 
and  poor;  but  I  don't  see  it.  Now,  I  am  thankful  that 
Nettie  and  Mr.  Endy  will  be  able  to  get  the  benefit  of  Doc- 
tor King's  great  ability;  but  it  is  no  merit  of  theirs  that 
secures  them  this  advantage.  It  is  money  that  does  it. 
I  see  no  reason  why  the  poor  should  have  to  put  up  with  the 
services  of  inferior  men  or  be  practiced  on  for  the  benefit 
of  students  while  learning.  Equality!  Psha!  We  haven't  a 
speck  of  it." 

Shortly  after  this  the  first  detective  arrived  on  the 
ground  and  asked  to  see  Arndt. 

Arndt's  first  question  was,  "Did  you  bring  the  hounds?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  use,"  said  the  man  shortly.  "Snow  is  six 
inches  deep.  Perfect  blizzard  raging  out  there  ever  since 
midnight  or  so.  Dogs  ain't  in  it  in  this  case.  Will  you 
please  tell  me  all  you  know  about  it?" 

Arndt  told  everything  except  the  attack  on  himself  and 
then  took  the  man  to  Mr.  Endy's  room  and  showed  him  all 
there  was  to  see  there — including  those  incriminating 
hairs. 

No  sooner  did  he  see  them  than  he  said,  "Black,  of 
course!  Color  of  his  son's  hair.  Been  having  a  row  with 
his  father — afraid  another  will  might  be  made  that  would 
cut  him  off  entirely — case  is  as  plain  as  a  clay  pipe  stem — 
piece  cut  out  of  the  pane  of  glass  in  the  study  is  just  a 
blind — front  door  and  this  one  found  wide  open  and 
propped  back?  Just  so!  He  came  in  that  way,  and  he  had 
a  key.      Robert  Endy,  Jr.,  is  my  man." 

He  had  made  up  his  mind  and  would  listen  to  nothing 
Arndt  had  to  say  on  the  other  side,  and  so  Arndt  was 
powerless  to  prevent  him  leaving  and  swearing  out  a  war- 
rant for  Robert's  arrest. 

When  King  arrived,  another  detective — from  Clyde — 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  125 

came.  This  one  took  things  more  leisurely  and  asked  a 
great  many  more  questions,  and  he  soon  discovered  that 
there  was  something  Arndt  was  not  saying  anything  about. 
He  was  a  much  shrewder  man  than  the  first,  and  finally 
said,  "Now,  Mr.  Arndt,  I  want  to  say  this  to  you:  I  think 
from  the  facts  Goodenough  discovered  that  he  is  right 
enough  as  to  his  conclusions;  but  you  are  not  telling  me 
all.  I  am  perfectly  sure  that  there  is  no  labor  leader  in  this 
land  but  what  would  die  in  defense  of  Mr.  Endy.  So  far  as 
I  know  he  has  not  an  enemy  or  ill-wisher  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  unless  it  be  his  son  or  Mr.  Craggie.  Now,  I  have 
often  worked  with  Arthur  and  am  a  great  friend  of  his. 
You  know  Arthur.     Would  you  tell  him  everything?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Arndt,  "it  is  my  intention  to  do  so.  If 
you  are  a  personal  friend  of  his,  I  have  no  objection  what- 
ever to  telling  you  all,  and  my  reasons  for  wishing  to  keep 
my  portion  of  the  adventure  quiet  for  the  present." 

Then  he  told,  and  together  they  went  out  and  hunted 
around  in  the  snow  for  evidence  to  corroborate  his  state- 
ments. The  snow  was  not  over  three  inches  deep,  even 
then,  and  they  found  a  bunch  of  keys  and  his  hat— which  he 
had  not  missed  till  they  started  out — and  the  club  with 
which  he  had  been  struck.      It  was  a  sand-bag. 

After  they  had  returned  to  the  house,  Wellington,  the 
detective  said  to  him,  "Mr.  Arndt,  you  are  wise  to  say 
nothing  about  this  other  matter.  Of  course,  your  hair  is 
very  light  and  the  other  is  jet  black ;  but  you  were  the  first 
on  the  scene;  you  are  suffering  from  an  injury  on  the  head; 
and  in  a  certain  way  the  strikers  would  be  benefited  by  the 
death  of  Mr.  Endy — provided  they  could  saddle  the  blame 
on  the  corporation.  That  you  are  entirely  innocent  is 
clear  to  me;  but  there  are  a  lot  of  fool  detectives,  like  Good- 
enough,  who  would  be  very  willing  to  make  things  quite 
unpleasant  for  you.  I  shall  say  nothing  whatever  about 
the  attack  on  you  unless  you  need  my  testimony  to  help 
clear  you." 

Arndt  thought  to  himself,  "My  God!  and  what  would 
even  he  suspect  if  he  knew  that  by  that  last  will  the  strik- 
ers actually  derive  more  benefit  from  Mr.  Endy's  death  than 
life."  But  he  thanked  the  detective  and  prepared  to  return 
home. 


126  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

In  the  hall  he  met  Kenedy  who  noticed  that  he  was  suf- 
fering, and  to  him  he  confided  all  the  facts — for  on  Kenedy 
he  could  implicitly  rely, — and  then  Kenedy  examined  his 
head  and  shoulder  and  applied  some  remedies  which  he 
said  would  soon  make  him  as  good  as  new.  "But,"  he 
added,  "you  had  a  narrow  escape — you  can't  do  that  twice 
without  being  killed." 

And  then  Arndt — who  could  do  nothing  more — went 
home  and  took  the  rest  he  so  much  needed.  At  least,  he 
took  part  of  it. 

In  the  meantime,  Goodenough  was  hot  on  the  trail  of 
Robert  and  went  south  after  him  with  a  rush;  but  he  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  pocket  a  hundred  dollar  bill 
which  a  wily  newspaper  man — reporter  for  the  Clyde  Daily 
Clarion — offered  him  when  he  found  him  puffed  up  with 
self-importance. 

And  so,  as  Arthur  was  eating  breakfast  in  Clyde, 
whither  he  had  traced  Robert  when  he  doubled  back  the 
preceding  day,  it  was  but  natural  that  the  big  and  staring 
headlines  announcing  the  attack  on  his  employer  and  the 
additional  fact  that  Robert  was  the  suspected  man  should 
meet  his  glance.  And  it  was  then  the  work  of  but  a  few 
moments  to  swear  out  a  warrant  and  drive  to  Robert's 
apartments — with  the  result  we  have  seen. 

And  then  Arthur  heartily  said  "Amen!"  in  answer  to 
Robert's  emphatic  words:  "I  am  innocent,  Sir.  May  that 
man  who  touched  a  hair  of  my  old  father's  head  be  ever- 
lastingly damned." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"Why  the  world  are  all  thinking  about  it, 

And  as  for  myself  I  can  swear, 
If  I  fancied  that  heaven  were  without  it, 

I'd  scarce  feel  a  wish  to  go  there." 

— Moore. 

The  clock  in  the  hallway  of  the  mansion  was  striking 
two  as  Arndt  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

With  aching  head  and  nerves  all  unstrung  by  the  rush 
of  events,  which  had,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  crowded  the 
occurrences  and  sensations  of  a  life-time  into  less  than  a 
week,  as  he  looked  back  over  the  last  few  days  it  seemed 
as  if  he  had  been  living  outside  of  himself — living  another 
man's  life. 

Where  were  the  days  of  hard  labor  of  body  and  brain, 
which  he  had  so  much  enjoyed,  gone  to? 

He  realized,  at  this  moment  as  never  before,  that  every 
one  of  those  days  during  his  courtship  and  engagement 
had  been  sweetened  by  the  thought  of  the  evening  which 
was  sure  to  follow;  evenings  when  there  would  be  Nettie 
listening  as  he  and  Angus  talked,  or,  Nettie  singing  or 
playing  the  music  he  loved,  or  Nettie  listening  to  him  read 
the  poems  of  her  choice,  or,  best  of  all,  Nettie  to  himself 
either  at  an  occasional  concert  or  entertainment  or  at 
times  all  to  himself  on  the  nights  when  Angus  went  to  the 
Endy  mansion  and  there  was  no  one  but  the  hired  woman 
and  Nettie  and  he  in  the  house. 

Thinking  thus  he  walked  slowly  towards  home ;  for  his 
thoughts  occupied  him  so  that  he  forgot  to  hurry  as  was 
his  custom;  and  notwithstanding  the  snow,  which  was  still 
falling,  he  walked  even  slower  as  he  thought  how  thev  had 
on  those  nights  talked  of  the  future,  a  future  which  to 'them 
seemed  to  have  only  sunshine  in  store — for  with  Nettie 
beside  him  he  always  forgot  that  "Some  davs  must  be  dark 
and  dreary." 

Now,  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  as  he  mechanically 

127 


128  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

followed  the  windings  of  the  river  road  to  the  place  where 
she  was  lying — sick  and  suffering — it  seemed  as  if  a  life- 
time had  passed  since  she  had  pressed  her  sweet  lips  to  his; 
and  he  found  himself,  in  thought,  again  standing  with  her 
arms  about  him  and  heard  her  loved  voice  saying,  "I  will 
never  give  you  up,  unless  you  wish  it !" 

Those  other  words  of  hers  which  had  been  ringing 
through  his  brain  every  moment  since  he  heard  them — 
and  which  had  caused  him  to  feel  so  bitter  towards  young 
Endy  that  it  had  been  only  after  a  great  struggle  with 
himself  that  he  had  in  each  case  succeeded  in  doing  the  just 
and  merciful  thing — were  now,  for  the  first  time  since 
he  had  heard  them,  forgotten;  they  were  crowded  out  of 
his  mind  by  sweet  memories. 

His  thoughts  flew  back  over  the  years  when  they  had 
been  children  together,  and  played  as  children  do;  and  as 
all  the  intervening  years  swept  by  there  was  joy  and  hap- 
piness in  every  one  of  them — in  every  moment  of  the  time 
passed  in  company  with  these  recollections. 

For  the  little  misunderstandings  of  childish  days  had 
always  been  cleared  away;  and  even  the  lover's  quarrels, 
which  had  come  as  their  lives  were  adjusting  themselves  to 
each  other — after  the  long  years  of  separation  while  she 
was  away  at  school — had  never  lasted  over  the  next  time 
of  meeting. 

Arndt  was  at  least  as  just  as  most  men,  and  he  this 
night  realized  that  whatever  of  decision  and  hatred  of  injus- 
tice there  was  in  his  character  were  due  to  the  influence 
exerted  silently  on  him  by  his  old  friend — who  had  taken 
him  up  and  made  a  companion  of  him  while  Nettie  was 
away — and  his  little  sweetheart;  and  as  he  came  back  into 
the  present  he  found  his  mind  filled  with  the  picture  of  her 
beautiful  face,  and  his  brain  was  ringing  softly  with  the 
words  "Nettie!  Nettie!  Nettie!"  even  as  he,  time  and 
again  had  found  himself  listening  to  those  same  words  as 
they  seemed  to  be  pounded  out  by  the  great  hammers  of 
the  foundry,  or  sung  by  the  birds,  or  whispered  by  the 
leaves  of  the  trees  as  the  wind  passed  through  the  branches. 

He  came  to  himself  with  a  start  as  he  stepped  on  the 
porch  and  walked  towards  the  door  which  opened  sud- 
denly. 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  129 

He  found  himself  face  to  face  with  his  sister  who  threw 
her  arms  about  his  neck  and  kissed  him  and  in  a  low  voice 
said,  "Are  you  all  right,  dear?  I'm  more  nervous  than  I 
ever  before  was  in  all  my  life.  What  in  this  world  has  kept 
you  so  long,  Charlie?  That  poor  girl  has  been  almost 
beside  herself  tonight;  she  seemed  to  think  that  you  were 
in  some  danger.  At  one  time  we  could  hardly  keep  her  in 
bed,  and  I  sent  for  Doctor  Kenedy;  but  he  could  not  be 
found.  This  excitement  and  worry  is  the  very  worst 
possible  for  her." 

"Now,  please  go  and  tell  her  that  I  am  all  right,  Annie." 
said  Arndt  quietly,  "and  then,  if  you  can  be  spared,  I  will 
tell  you  all  about  it." 

Upon  her  return  Annie  said,  "It's  no  use;  you  will 
just  have  to  go  up  and  reassure  her;  the  anodynes  don't 
take  effect,  and  I've  already  given  the  limit  allowed  by 
Doctor  King.     We  simply  must  get  her  to  sleep." 

So,  instead  of  retiring,  as  he  had  intended,  Arndt  passed 
into  the  room  where  the  silence  was  broken  only  by  the 
soothing  voice  of  the  nurse  and  the  restless  movement  of 
the  white  hands  on  the  cover;  and  taking  the  soft  hand  in 
his  firm,  close  grasp  he  leaned  over  her  and  kissed  her  on 
the  lips  which  murmured  softly,  "Charlie.  Charlie,"  and 
then  he  said  in  a  voice  which  was  clear  and  slow  and  quiet- 
ing, "I  am  all  right;  no  harm  has  come  to  me;  go  to  sleep 
little  sweetheart." 

Without  another  word  he  seated  himself  in  the  chair 
which  the  nurse  pushed  towards  him  and  for  a  few 
moments  allowed  himself  to  return  that  loving  gaze,  and 
then — without  relaxing  his  hold  on  her  hand  he  said: 

"The  day  is  done  and  the  darkness 

Falls  from  the  wings  of  night 
As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 

From  an  eagle  in  his  flight." 

The  eyes  which  had  refused  to  close,  still  rested  upon 
him,  lovingly,  questioningly,  wonderingly.  As  he  went 
on  with  the  beautiful  poem  which  has  itself  done  so  much  to 
"Quiet  the  restless  pulse  of  care"  the  wondering  and  ques- 
tioning died  out  and.  at  last,  only  Love  was  left;  and  then, 
as  the  closing  words  died  away,  the  love  was  hidden  from 


130  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

mortal  sight;  for  consciousness  had  gone  with  the  Arabs 
as  they  silently  folded  their  tents  and  stole  away. 

When  Doctor  Kenedy  arrived — at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning — he  found  Arndt  sitting  as  motionless  as  a 
statue,  still  holding  the  little  hand  and  gazing  at  the  pale, 
thin  face ;  and  the  doctor — coming  noiselessly  to  his  side — 
said :  "You  can  lay  her  hand  down  and  come  away.  She 
will  not  rouse  for  hours." 

Arndt's  arm  was  so  cramped  and  stiff  that  it  required 
quite  an  effort  to  move  it,  and  when  he  left  his  chair  his 
sister  took  his  place. 

Kenedy  shook  hands  heartily  with  him  and  said,  "Just 
as  I  told  you;  we  have  to  have  the  help  of  outsiders  once  in 
a  while — if  only  we  could  always  get  hold  of  the  right  one 
we  might  do  away  with  a  lot  of  the  drugs.  She  will  prob- 
ably get  well  fast,  now.  The  trouble  has  been  to  get  her 
to  sleep.  I  have  come  here  straight  from  Endy's.  King 
and  I  have  been  working  with  him  all  this  time.  King  is 
still  there.  The  blow  would  not  be  a  dangerous  one  for 
a  young  man  to  sustain,  but  his  age  is  against  him.  How- 
ever, his  constitution  is  good  and  he  will  probably  pull 
through — but  we  fear  for  the  effect  on  the  brain.  He  is 
only  partially  conscious  now;  does  not  speak  coherently. 
We  will  hope  for  the  best;  it  may  leave  no  evil  effect — 
at  least  on  his  physical  health." 

Arndt's  head  and  shoulder  where  the  glancing  blow 
had  taken  most  effect,  had  been  throbbing  almost  unbear- 
ably during  the  hours  of  his  vigil.  He  now  made  an 
involuntary  motion  with  his  hand;  and  Kenedy  said,  "Here, 
you  had  better  let  me  fix  that  (it  was  a  narrow  escape), 
and  then  you  go  to  sleep." 

So  at  half  past  five  a.  m.  Arndt  was  sleeping;  but  at 
seven  his  sister  called  him — though  very  reluctantly.  She 
said  the  man  who  was  waiting  at  the  door  would  take  no 
refusal,  insisting  that  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance,  and 
demanding  to  see  him  in  the  name  of  the  Union. 

With  eyes  only  half  open  Arndt  walked  to  the  door; 
but  when  he  saw  Baker,  his  colleague  of  the  strike  com- 
mittee, standing  there  he  reached  to  the  table  in  the  hall- 
way and  took  his  hat. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  131 

At  the  gate  they  found  a  horse  and  sleigh,  and  without 
a  word  both  got  in. 

After  they  were  started  Baker  used  the  whip  freely  and 
swore  under  his  breath  as  he  said,  "We  have  had  too  much 
good  luck;  things  are  going  to  go  against  us  if  we  don't 
make  good  time.  The  men  have  heard  of  the  assault  on 
Mr.  Endy  and  they  charge  it  up  to  Craggie,  who,  they 
have  just  learned,  spent  the  night  in  his  car  at  the  station. 
The  men  are  boiling  over;  there  will  be  one  less  millionaire 
if  they  get  their  hands  on  him  this  day." 

"Drive  faster!"  said  Arndt  sharply,  and  his  friend  plied 
the  whip. 

"Where  is  Savage?  Why  did  you  have  to  come  so  far 
out  of  your  way  for  me?"  Arndt  shouted  to  his  companion 
— for  they  were  now  going  at  a  terrific  rate  over  the  sleet 
covered  snow  and  the  wind  cut  their  faces  sharply. 

"Savage  just  said  that  the  men  could  kill  Craggie  as 
soon  as  they  wished,  for  all  of  him.  You  ought  to  have 
known  that  from  your  experience  with  him  on  the  commit- 
tee," said  Baker.  "Savage  is  a  good  man,  but  he  is  mightily 
tired  of  Craggie  and  his  methods." 

"Can't  blame  him !  Nevertheless,  we  must  save  Crag- 
gie." 

"My  idea  exactly,"  said  Baker,  and  then  they  gave  up 
trying  to  talk. 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  they  were  at  the  station,  and 
as  he  stepped  from  the  sleigh  Arndt  said  to  his  companion 
— slowly  and  emphatically — "Drive  back  along  the  main 
street  and  post  one  of  the  men  at  each  corner  with  instruc- 
tions to  stop  every  striker  from  coming  thi,s  way,  by  telling 
them  that  the  evidence  all  points  to  the  guilt  of  Mr.  Endy's 
own  son — whom  the  detectives  have  already  sworn  out 
warrants  for." 

"Great  God!"  said  Baker  and  drove  furiously  away. 

So  Arndt  was  left  alone  with  the  fast  gathering  crowd 
of  workingmen.  Many  of  the  men  distrusted  him  on 
account  of  his  taking  the  part  of  the  rich  when  he  con- 
sidered them  unjustly  abused.  His  talk  to  Mr.  Endy  and 
with  Doctor  Kenedy  was  of  an  altogether  different  tone 
from  that  which  he  used  when  arguing  with  his  fellow 
workers.     It  was  as  if  he  spoke  fearlessly  to  the  face  of  the 


132  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

rich  what  he  would  not  say  behind  their  backs ;  and  the  men, 
hearing  only  such  statements  from  him  as  would  tend  to 
make  them  bear  up  under  the  unjust  conditions  that 
hemmed  them  in,  had  little  use  for  him.  In  fact  he  owed 
his  position  on  the  strike  committee  solely  to  the  cir- 
cumstance that  President  Trueman  knew  his  man  and  when 
the  question  was  up  in  the  main  committee  to  leave  the 
entire  matter  in  the  hands  of  a  sub-committee  of  three,  he 
stated  positively  that  he  would  not  consent  and  would  use 
all  his  influence  against  the  measure  unless  the  decision  of 
the  sub-committee  had  to  be  unanimous  and  Arndt  be  one 
of  the  number. 

A  large  portion  of  the  crowd  now  here  were,  of  course, 
of  the  more  violent  class;  and  Arndt  knew,  when  he  looked 
at  them,  that  whatever  he  did  to  aid  Mr.  Craggie  must  be 
done  without  their  assistance. 

He  passed  quickly  through  the  crowd  with  a  word  of 
good  morning  for  all,  and  approached  the  conductor  who 
was  standing  alone  on  one  corner  of  the  platform  and 
asked,  "Mr.  Jennings,  are  you  ready  to  move  out?" 

"All  ready,  Mr.  Arndt,  but  the  old  man  hasn't  made  his 
appearance  and  I  can't  start  a  wheel  without  orders  from 
him  or  Chambers — who  hasn't  come  down  from  the  hotel 
yet.     There  he  comes  now,  though!" 

"Good!"  said  Arndt.  "Go  to  the  switch  and  watch  for 
his  signal — give  the  word  to  the  engineer  as  you  pass." 

The  strikers  had  been  watching  Arndt;  but  when  he 
came  quietly  walking  back  towards  them  they  fell  to  talk- 
ing again,  and  so  the  words  he  spoke  to  Chambers  were 
not  noticed;  and  as  the  switch  was  on  the  far  side  of 
the  car  the  first  intimation  they  had  of  any  movement  was 
hearing  the  voice  of  Chambers  as  he  called  to  the  con- 
ductor. 

He,  in  his  excitement,  almost  spoiled  Arndt's  plans; 
but  the  engine  and  car  pulled  away  from  the  station  at  a 
speed  that  defied  pursuit. 

Some  bullets  and  a  shower  of  rocks  and  other  missiles 
struck  the  car.  As  soon  as  it  was  beyond  their  reach  some 
of  them  were  sent  in  Arndt's  direction;  and  as  he  was  then 
standing  looking  after  the  retreating  car  one  of  the  rocks 
struck  him  squarely  on  the  back,  and  he  dropped  to  the 
platform  like  a  log. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"There  are  several  ways  to  kill  a  cat." 

— Old  Saying. 

Being  possessed  of  only  the  usual  powers  of  created 
beings  we  cannot  be  in  more  than  one  place  at  a  time,  and 
so  we  must  return  to  Robert  Endy  who  stood  perfectly 
still  for  several  moments  after  proclaiming  his  innocence 
and  curse  on  the  guilty — saying  to  himself:  "Not  dead?  not 
dead?  He  can  not  be  dead?"  And  then  he  pulled  himself 
together  and  sighed  deeply  and  said,  in  his  old,  sharp  busi- 
ness-like manner,  "Who  are  you,  Sir,  and  when  did  this 
happen,  and  where  did  you  get  this  letter." 

The  detective  smiled  as  he  as  curtly  said,  "My  name  is 
Arthur — two  members  of  the  city  police  force  are  outside 
the  door.  You  probably  don't  need  any  answer  to  the 
second  question.  I  received  the  letter  from  the  hands  of 
your  father  on  Friday  afternoon.  We  must  be  going  now. 
You  will  have  plenty  of  time  in  jail  to  read  it  before  the 
examining  trial  takes  place.  My  instructions  from  your 
father  were  to  follow  you  South.  As  you  know,  I  did  not 
have  to  go  far  in  that  direction.  I  left  the  others  outside 
in  order  to  say  to  you  that  I  am  sorry  for  you,  for  your 
father's  sake  if  you  are  innocent  or  guilty;  for  I  have 
learned  to  esteem  him  highly  in  the  short  time  I  have  been 
in  his  company,  and  if  he  dies — and  you  are  guilty — I  will 
do  my  best  to  have  you  electrocuted  for  it.  But  I  will 
say  this  much  to  you — on  the  supposition  that  being  your 
father's  son  you  are  therefore  innocent;  things  look  black 
for  you,  therefore,  don't  talk." 

"Thank  you.  Sir,"  said  Robert,  who,  when  his  mind 
ran  back  over  the  last  few  days,  saw  that  there  were  many 
things  which  would  naturally  appear  against  him,  "Thank 
you,  Sir,  my  word  to  you  or  to  any  man  who  is  not  work- 
ing for  me  is  that  I  am  innocent;  that  is  my  only  word." 

"Good,"  replied  Arthur,  but  he  smiled  as  he  said  fur- 
ther, "They  all  say  that  same,  Mr.  Endy." 

U3 


134  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Since  he  was  a  rich  man's  son — and  wealthy  himself — 
and  also  because  there  were  three  to  one,  Robert  did  not 
have  to  wear  bracelets,  although  one  of  the  officers  insisted 
on  the  formality  being  observed,  saying  that  what  was 
good  enough  for  a  poor  man  was,  in  his  opinion,  good 
enough  for  a  rich  one.  But  his  companion  said.  "You'd 
better  go  slow.  The  strikers  are  on  top  now,  but  the  strike 
is  not  ended ;  and  we  have  not  heard  from  Craggie  yet — 
you  know." 

His  assistant  sullenly  said,  "Maybe  you're  right,  but  I 
wish  that  we  never  hear  from  him.  A  man  daren't  say  his 
soul's  his  own,  the  way  he  runs  things  these  days." 

"Oh,  I'm  not  much  struck  on  Craggie,"  was  the  reply, 
"not  me;  but  that's  because  he  hasn't  found  out  yet  that 
I'm  here — he  takes  mighty  good  care  of  the  men  who  do 
work  to  suit  him.  Anyway,  it's  Craggie  or  maybe  a  worse 
one;  and  I'm  not  helping  to  topple  one  master  over  until 
I've  examined  the  build  of  his  successor.      See?" 

"Maybe  you're  right,"  was  the  reply;  and  then  they 
were  silent  until  the  vehicle  in  which  they  were  driving 
stopped  at  the  same  door  that  not  so  long  before  had 
opened  for  Arndt.  And  it  was  the  genial  voice  of  the 
sheriff  which  greeted  them  and  said :  "Good  morning,  Gen- 
tlemen!    I  am  truly  sorry  to  see  you  here,  Mr.  Endy." 

As  soon  as  he  was  in  the  building — and  while  waiting 
for  the  necessary  formalities — Robert  read  the  letter  Arthur 
had  delivered  to  him ;  and  there  were  tears  in  his  eyes 
as  he  handed  it  to  the  detective  saying,  "Read  it,  please." 

And  that  word  please  marked  the  beginning  of  the 
transformation  of  the  man.  Many  utter  the  word,  but  not 
in  the  way  he  said  it. 

Then  Arthur  read:  "My  Dear  Son — I  was,  upon  open- 
ing your  letter,  greatly  relieved  to  find  that  your  affec- 
tion for  your  father  had  not  been  lost  in  the  whirl  of  events 
of  the  last  few  days. 

"The  actions  I  have  taken  have  all  been  carried  out 
through  a  sense  of  duty  to'  humanity,  although  I  am  obliged 
to  confess  that  some  of  them  were  begun  under  the  sting 
of  wounded  personal  feelings. 

"The  publicity  which  has  attended  the  performance  has 
not  been  a  result  of  any  wish  of  mine — and  the  notoriety 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  135 

can  hardly  be  more  unpleasant  to  you  than  it  is  to  me.  It 
is  contrary  to  the  habit  of  my  whole  life;  but  it  is  a  part  of 
the  price  that  is  necessary  to  be  paid  by  any  one  who 
would  aid  the  working  class. 

"The  value  of  my  name  and  influence  to  the  cause  of 
equal  justice  is  as  great  as  or  greater  than  the  money  I  can 
bestow;  so  I  must  give  up  my  quiet  life — as  well  as  my 
money. 

"I  want  you  to  be  immediately  assured  that  I  implicitly 
believe  every  word  you  say  in  regard  to  your  intentions  in 
the  suit  you  brought  against  Arndt;  and  I  am  more  relieved 
than  I  am  able  to  tell  you  at  your  disavowal — since  an 
attempt  of  the  kind  that  seemed  to  be  indicated  by  the  evi- 
dence before  me,  was  capable  of  but  one  interpretation — 
and  that  was  that  you  had  lost  all  respect  and  love  for  me. 
"I  so  interpreted  it  and  acted  accordingly. 
"We  owe  Mr.  Craggie  a  debt  of  gratitude — which  I  will 
seek  an  early  opportunity  to  pay — for  having  caused  you  to 
abandon  that  action  against  Arndt.  It  is  true  he  thus 
prevented  us  gaining  an  important  advantage  in  favor  of 
the  strikers;  but  he,  at  the  same  time,  saved  my  feelings  as 
a  father. 

"You  are  entirely  wrong  in  regard  to  Charles  Arndt.  I 
myself  sought  him  out  and  asked  his  aid  in  the  distribution 
of  the  money  I  had  dedicated  to  the  workingmen's  cause. 
He  even  advised  me  to  await  your  return  to  the  house  in 
order  to  give  you  another  chance,  even  though  he  would 
have  lost  the  advantage  to  the  cause  which  your  hasty 
action  had  given  us — and,  also,  he  refused  to  prosecute  you 
for  false  imprisonment.  But,  my  son,  I  know  you  well 
enough  to  be  fully  aware  that  no  evidence  to  the  con- 
trary will  make  you  see  Arndt  in  the  proper  light;  for, 
according  to  your  own  confession,  you  do  not  believe  that 
any  disinterested  motive  can  actuate  a  man  in  this  life. 

"There  was  never  a  greater  mistake  of  judgment  than 
that.  The  history  of  the  world  is  full  of  such  cases :  and  it 
can  never  be  read  aright  nor  can  conduct  be  properlv 
ordered,  by  a  mind  distorted  by  such  a  bias. 

"Unselfishness  is  the  key  which  will  inevitablv  unlock  all 
the  problems   that   are   now   closed   doors   between   man 


136  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

and  man;  and  it  will  eventually  solve  all  the  vexed  questions 
of  society. 

"Hoping  for  the  day  when  you  will  realize  this,  I  am 
now,  as  always,  Your  loving  father,  Robert  Endy." 

As  Arthur  quietly  stood  reading  the  letter  Robert  sat 
with  his  head  buried  in  his  hands ;  and  when  he  had  finished 
the  detective  said,  "I  would  keep  that  if  I  were  you — it  will 
help  you  a  whole  lot  with  a  jury,  if  your  lawyer  can  get 
it  before  them.  But  I  am  very  sorry,  now,  that  I  did  not 
deliver  it  to  you  last  night." 

Robert  gazed  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"I  saw  you  look  from  the  window  of  your  front  room 
precisely  at  nine-thirty-two,  Mr.  Endy,  and  I  immediately 
entered  the  building  to  hand  you  the  letter." 

Robert  started  to  ask,  What  made  you  change  your 
mind?      But  he  never  said  more  than  "What." 

"I  was  on  the  way  to  your  door  when  I  saw  you  open 
it  and  admit  'The  Princess';  and  then  I  concluded  to  wait 
until  morning,"  continued  Arthur  significantly. 

Robert  did  not  reply  and  sat  thinking  deeply  until  Mr. 
Bertram,  the  lawyer  he  had  sent  for,  arrived. 

They  immediately  had  a  conference,  and  as  a  result, 
Arthur  was  called  to  their  assistance;  and  in  reply  to  a 
question  of  Mr.  Bertram's  he  said: 

"I  have  severed  my  connection  with  the  Agency.  This 
I  did  willingly  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Endy's  father,  as  I  am 
pretty  tired  of  being  hauled  off  of  one  case  after  another 
simply  because  Mr.  Craggie  doesn't  want  it  investigated;  I 
am  now  employed  by  Mr.  Endy  and  can  serve  no  one  but 
him,  for  the  present." 

Then  Robert  said  to  him:  "You  can  serve  my  father, 
better  no  other  way  than  by  hunting  up  his  assailant;  and 
when  you  find  that  man  you  will  clear  me.  I  have  nothing 
to  conceal  from  you — so  you  had  better  remain  while  I 
state  my  case  to  Mr.  Bertram,  as  it  will  save  you  a  lot  of 
time  and  trouble  to  know  exactly  every  move  I  made — and 
the  reasons  for  them — since  I  left  home." 

"Certainly,  if  you  are  willing,  nothing  could  suit  me 
better,"  said  Arthur;  and  after  hearing  him  to  the  end 
without  interruption,  he  continued,  "It  may  be  possible 
that  she  will  be  willing,  for  a  good  round  sum,  to  testify  to 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  137 

the  truth — but  I  doubt  it!  Moreover,  the  testimony  of 
women  of  her  class  goes  for  very  little  with  even  the  aver- 
age jury."  The  lawyer  interrupted — "And  worst  of  all, 
you  positively  can  not  afford  to  use  her  testimony,  even  if 
she  is  willing  to  give  it.  We  must  think  of  your  future.  Of 
course,  if  things  come  to  the  worst  we  must  prove  our  alibi 
with  whatever  testimony  we  can  get;  but  for  the  present 
I  see  nothing  for  it  but  to  waive  an  examining  trial  and 
let  Arthur  put  all  his  skill  into  finding  the  guilty  man. 
The  janitor  will  of  course  swear  that  you  were  here  all 
last^  night ;  but  he  might  also  swear  to  more  than  that." 

"Don't  you  depend  on  the  janitor — I  think  he  positively 
hates  me;  he  will  tell  nothing  to  my  advantage!" 

Arthur  and  Bertram  exchanged  significant  glances,  for 
they  both  knew  about  Robert's  way  of  treating  workers; 
and  both  doubted  whether  he  had  a  single  friend  or  well 
wisher  among  them. 

Robert's  thoughts  passed  on  to  the  woman  and  he  ex- 
claimed: "May  perdition  seize  the  Princess!  If  it  had 
not  been  for  her  I  would  not  even  be  subject  to  suspicion. 
God  knows,  I  have  been  sick  to  death  of  her  for  over  a 
year ;  but  when  I  remembered  the  appointment  I  had  made 
for  last  night  I  also  recollected  that  I  could  not  afford  to 
break  with  her  and  complicate  matters  at  this  time.  I  would 
not  have  my  old  father  know  that  I  had  even  spoken  to 
her  or  such  as  her  for  the  world.  I  tell  you,  Mr.  Arthur, 
you  must  just  find  that  guilty  man ;  for  I'll  die  before  I'll 
have  her  name  connected  with  mine." 

Arthur  said,  "You  may  depend  on  it,  I  will  do  my  very- 
best  ;  but  I  get  on  the  case  rather  late— and  you  may  have 
to  use  both  the  janitor's  and  the  Princess'  testimony.  I 
will    go    to    them    directly;  for,    although  I  don't  like  to 

remind    you    of    it,    your  father  may  not  survive,  and " 

But  he  left  the  room  without  finishing  his  sentence. 

And  thus  it  happened  that  when  Mr.  Craggie  received 
the  reply  to  the  telegram  which  he  sent  after  his  talk  with 
Mr.  Johnson— asking  to  have  Arthur  detailed  to  work  for 
him,— the  answer  he  received  caused  him  to  use  violent 
language  (which  was  a  very  unusual  indulgence  for  him). 
The  answer  read:  "Arthur  has  left  us— present  where- 
abouts unknown." 


138  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

This  was  received  just  as  he  entered  his  private  car 
after  his  dinner  at  a  station  seventy-five  miles  beyond  Steel- 
ton.  Mr.  Craggie  had  distinctly  stated  to  the  lawyer  that 
he  intended  to  go  on  further  up  the  road,  and  so  Mr.  John- 
son had  returned  to  Clyde  on  the  regular  train. 

But  when  Mr.  Craggie  sat  down  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  table  at  which  we  left  the  secretary  so  busily  writ- 
ing, he  said,  "Good  evening,  good  evening,  Mr.  Chambers. 
I  trust  that  you  enjoyed  your  little  rest.  Beautiful  day,  is 
it  not?     Anything  new?" 

"Yes,  sir — several  things." 

"Well,  just  tell  the  conductor  to  run  us  back  to  Steel- 
ton — any  time  he  can  get  a  clear  track.  There  is  no  hurry, 
and  I  don't  want  to  get  Voss  into  any  more  trouble  than 
is  necessary.  I  hear  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  muttering 
about  our  going  over  the  roads  whenever  we  please  and  as 
fast  as  we  please,  eh!  Mr.  Chambers?" 

"A  good  deal  of  grumbling,  Sir,"  was  the  reply  as  the 
young  man  went  out  to  give  the  necessary  orders ;  but  he 
thought,  as  he  hunted  up  the  conductor,  "I  wonder  what 
makes  Craggie  in  such  a  good  humor  today, — and  the  strike 
going  dead  against  him,  too?" 

After  the  return  of  Chambers  the  president  dictated  a 
few  articles  for  the  daily  newspapers  which  were  very  care- 
fully worded,  but  were  intended  to  convey  the  impression 
that  after  all  Mr.  Endy's  son  had  not  been  entirely  wrong 
and  that  a  young  man  who  found  himself  on  the  point  of 
losing  a  fortune — which  he  considered  almost  his  own — 
was  justified  in  feeling  very  sore  about  the  matter,  and  was 
almost,  perhaps,  warranted  in  doing  something  to  the  man 
he  considered  responsible  for  the  loss  he  was  about  to  sus- 
tain;— and  that,  maybe,  he  was  even  justified  in  think- 
ing that  his  father's  mind  was  unbalanced, — slightly,  at 
least, — when  he  made  so  monstrous  a  will. 

As  to  the  method  by  which  the  son  came  into  posses- 
sion of  the  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  the  will,  that,  of 
course,  was  indefensible  for  all  parties  concerned — if  it 
were  true,  as  told.  "But,"  the  article  concluded,  "But,  it  is 
never  safe  to  believe  all  we  hear  in  these  cases.  We  have 
even  heard  outsiders  remarking  on  the  intellectual  decline 
of  Mr.  Endy,  Sr." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  139 

And  the  president  smiled  benignly  as  he  said  to  Cham- 
bers,  "And  the  thing  the  dear  people  won't  believe  is  the 
story  told  by  old  Endy  as  to  the  affair  at  Johnson's." 

"You  ought  to  dictate  our  foreign  correspondence,  Sir. 
The  diplomatic  corps  has  needed  you  for  a  long  time,"  said 
Chambers. 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,  Mr.  Chambers,  that's  all  right." 
And  Mr.  Craggie  laughed  at  his  own  cleverness  and  the 
compliment  that  had  been  paid  him ;  and  then  he  settled  back 
in  his  chair  in  a  way  that  Chambers  knew,  from  long  experi- 
ence, meant  lighting  a  cigar  and  talking  about  himself.  For 
the  great  man  had  to  have  some  one  to  unburden  himself  to, 
and  the  talk  with  Johnson  was  the  only  one  during  his  whole 
life  in  which  he  had  been  perfectly  open  with  one  on  his  own 
social  plane.  Chambers  had  made  himself  indispensable  by 
never  refusing  to  carry  out  a  single  order,  by  his  discreet- 
ness, by  the  perfection  of  his  work,  and  by  paying  delicate 
little  compliments  at  the  proper  time. 

And  so  the  cigar  being  lighted,  Mr.  Craggie  repeated, 
"That's  all  right,  Mr.  Chambers.  They  appear  every  once 
in  a  while  to  be  getting  things  into  a  terrible  mess ;  but  it  all 
works  our  way  in  the  end — if  you  have  noticed.  I  drop 
them  a  bit  of  advice  about  once  in  so  often — as  you  know — 
and  they  mostly  pay  considerable  attention  to  what  we  sug- 
gest, Eh  ?"  6 

Chambers  knew  that  he  was  not  expected  to  reply,  so  he 
said  nothing;  but  he  still  had  the  same  appreciative  smile  on 
his  face  that  invariably  took  its  place  there  when  he  reached 
under  the  drawer  and  touched  a  little  spring  which  worked 
very  easily  from  much  use.  And  he  smiled,  and  smiled  even 
more  appreciatively,  as  he  said  to  himself:  "Whenever  Mr. 
Craggie  says  us  or  our  he  means  only  himself— just  like  a 
good  many  people." 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  these  so-called  edi- 
torials written,  differing  in  wording  but  all  intended  to 
break  down  the  growing  sympathy  of  the  middle  class  for 
the  strikers.  They  were  models  in  their  wav ;  and  the  care- 
fulness displayed  in  selecting  the  proper  editorial  for  each 
leading  paper  was  also  a  good  lesson  to  any  one  that  needed 
it— but  that  one  was  certainly  not  Mr.  Chambers,  to  whom 
the  president  knew  he  could  safely  entrust  the  matter.     So 


140  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

he  sat  back,  quietly  smoking,  in  his  revolving  chair ;  and  he 
even  thought  as  he  watched  the  secretary  swiftly  reducing 
the  pile  of  stenographic  notes  to  clear  and  absolutely  accurate 
typewritten  sheets,  "Chambers  is  a  valuable  man,  in  fact, 
an  invaluable  man.  I  will  find  something  suited  to  his 
ability  some  day;  but  I  can't  spare  him  now — and  it  won't 
do  to  raise  his  salary  at  present;  he  might  get  the  big- 
head.  Really,  his  unconsciousness  of  his  value  makes  him 
quite  a  companionable  fellow ;  it  would  never  do  to  spoil 
that." 

The  result  of  this  reflection  was  that  he  soon  inter- 
rupted Chambers  by  the  remark :  "Well,  I  am  not  altogether 
sorry  that  we  had  those  reverses  at  first.  Those  easy  vic- 
tories will  make  the  labor  leaders  careless ;  and  besides, 
I  enjoy  a  good  fight,  anyhow.  The  victories  over  organized 
labor  in  the  past  have  been  hardly  worth  while;  injunctions, 
intimidated  judges,  purchased  leaders,  and  men  persuaded 
to  turn  traitor  to  their  fellows  all  used  to  answer  very 
well ;  but  they  came  cheap — and  the  men  paid  for  them,  every 
time;  for  we  always  added  the  sum  total  to  necessary  run- 
ning expense  account  and  took  it  out  of  the  men's  wages 
sooner  or  later.  And  when  our  property  has  been  destroyed 
the  strikers  suffered  the  odium  and  lost  the  sympathy  of  the 
property  owners  everywhere.  We  lately  have  succeeded  in 
collecting  our  losses  of  this  kind  out  of  the  whole  people  in 
the  shape  of  taxes ;  for  we  made  the  States  pay  us,  on  the 
plea  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  State  to  protect  our  property 
— though,  if  an  incendiary  burns  up  a  private  individual's 
house  or  store  or  factory  the  owner  can  get  nothing  out  of 
the  State.  What  a  pack  of  fools  the  people  are,  that  they  do 
not  insist  that  the  application  of  that  law  must  extend  to 
the  losses  of  all  the  people ;  but  it  would  be  a  sorry  day  for 
the  rich  if  they  did — and  I  am  not  apt  to  put  them  up  to  it. 
The  people  are  really  utterly  unfit  to  govern  themselves." 

And  then  there  was  silence,  and  the  secretary  resumed 
his  work ;  but  after  a  little  while  the  president  laughed  heart- 
ily and  said,  "Really,  this  is  the  best  joke  of  all." 

And  the  thought  was  so  funny  that  he  had  to  confide  it 
to  Chambers ;  who  again  touched  the  little  spring — this  time 
with  his  knee. 

"There  was  one  fool  editor  who  actuallv  twitted  the  cor- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  141 

porations  because  as  he  said,  under  this  plan  the  people  had 
found  a  means  of  making  the  rich  help  pay  for  their  own 
losses ;  and  when  I  saw  that  article  I  laughed  until  I  would 
have  presented  the  fellow  with  ten  dollars  for  the  enjoyment 
he  had  given  me — but  the  fool  would  not  accept  it." 

"Yes,"  in  reply  to  a  look  from  Chambers,  "that  was  the 
fellow  who  sent  back  the  ten  dollars  with  a  note  saying  that 
he  could  not  receive  money  for  which  he  had  rendered  no 
equivalent.  That  told  all  about  him.  There  are  not  many 
of  his  kind.  He  ought  to  have  lived  in  some  other  world 
than  this.  I  watched  to  see  what  would  happen — and  I  did 
not  interfere  at  all,  for  that  would  have  spoiled  the  value  of 
the  experiment ; — and  that  man  went  to  the  wall  inside  a 
year,  and  he  is  this  day  setting  type  for  a  patent  outside 
paper  that  I  control  absolutely.  The  world  doesn't  want  that 
kind  of  man,  so  far  as  I  can  see. 

"But,  I  am  hindering  you— though  there  is  no  particular 
hurry  about  those  editorials.  We  don't  want  them  to  appear 
too  near  together.  You  will  just  pay  out  of  your  fund 
whatever  is  necessary  to  insure  their  insertion  as  editorials. 
In  fact,  I  think  that  we  may  have  to  increase  that  fund 
shortly.  But  I  would  send  out  only  the  ones  to  the  two 
nearest  papers  today — and  you  might  telegraph  them.  The 
rest  we  will  hold  until  we  see  the  effect  of  these." 

"When  the  president's  car  was  safe  on  its  siding  at 
Steelton  he  told  Chambers  that  he  would  not  need  him 
during  the  night,  as  he  proposed  to  make  up  for  the  rest  and 
sleep  he  had  lost  by  turning  in  as  soon  as  he  had  eaten  the 
supper  which  the  secretary  was  instructed  to  have  sent  to 
the  car  from  the  railroad  station  restaurant. 

"And,  by  the  way,  what  has  become  of  that  cook?  It 
doesn't  always  suit  to  stop  for  meals." 

"Oh,"  said  Chambers,  "I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  he  tele- 
graphed to  know  whether  he  should  follow  us  with  those 
provisions ;  and  I  told  him  to  wait  where  he  is  until  he  got 
orders  from  you,  as  I  didn't  know  where  to  tell  him  to  meet 
us." 

"Very  good !  Tell  him  to  come  on  to  Clyde  at  once — 
we  are  apt  to  be  around  here  for  several  days." 

Chambers  then  said  that  he  would  go  up  to  the  hotel  for 
the  night,  where  he  could  be  found  if  needed,  but  that  he 


142  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

would  first  have  to  finish  the  two  articles  as  he  had  deferred 
them  until  last  because  they  had  less  distance  to  travel. 

Mr.  Craggie  thereupon  said  he  would  order  his  own  meal 
and  get  some  fresh  air  and  a  little  exercise. 

No  sooner  had  he  disappeared  within  the  building  than 
Chambers  carefully  removed  the  little  machine — of  which  he 
seemed  to  think  so  much — and  placed  it  by  the  side  of  the  box 
which  was  lying  in  the  hand  bag.  He  then  speedily  finished 
his  work ;  and  with  the  telegrams  in  one  hand  and  the  hand- 
bag in  the  other  he  left  the  car,  after  first  seeing  that  the 
windows  were  all  tightly  closed ;  and  as  he  shut  the  door  be- 
hind him  he  carefully  locked  it.  Then,  after  leaving  the 
telegrams  at  the  office  with  the  remark,  "Send  them  at 
once !"  he  went  to  the  hotel,  where  a  good  part  of  the  night 
was  spent  in  listening  to  the  assertive  voice  of  the  president 
as  he  conspired  with  Mr.  Johnson. 

When  the  machine  stopped  talking  and  then  after  a  pause 
went  on  again,  Chambers  said,  emphatically,  "Damn !" 

After  a  few  words  more  the  talking  came  to  an  abrupt 
end ;  but  this  time  there  was  a  very  faint  click  which  told  the 
listener  that  the  cylinder  was  full. 

"Botheration  !  as  Craggie  says,"  he  exclaimed  ;  then  after 
a  moment — "I  guess  there  is  enough  of  it,  after  all.  I'm 
powerful  glad  that  there  is  not  another  machine  like  you  in 
the  world,"  and  he  patted  the  marvelous  little  instrument 
which  was  small  enough  to  be  a  child's  toy ;  and  as  he  care- 
fully wiped  and  oiled  every  part  of  it  he  remarked:  "You 
certainly  did  cost  me  a  pretty  penny,  lots  of  hard  thinking, 
and  plenty  of  trouble ;  but  you  are  worth  every  bit  of  it." 

Then  he  set  the  machine  going  again  at  the  beginning  and 
went  busily  to  work  putting  down  in  shorthand  the  whole 
conversation  that  was  on  that  cylinder.  Afterwards  he  put 
on  some  other  cylinders  and  took  notes  from  them. 

It  was  in  the  small  hours  of  the  morning  when  he 
finished,  and  the  machine  was  kept  steadily  going  until  he 
blew  out  the  light  and  went  to  bed. 

He  had  done  a  hard  night's  work,  and  so  he  slept 
soundly ;  and  it  was  rather  late  when  he  stepped  on  the  sta- 
tion platform — for  he  intended  to  eat  his  breakfast  where 
he  could  see  the  car. 

He  was  in  such  a  rush  that  he  did  not  see  the  angry  looks 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  i43 

which  were  cast  upon  him  as  he  hurried  past  the  men  who 
also  were  hastening  to  the  station.  As  he  stepped  on  the  plat- 
form he  was  confronted  hy  Arndt,  whom  he  knew  well,  who 
said— without  a  word  of  greeting— "Chambers !  Order  that 
conductor  of  yours  to  pull  out  of  here  at  once.  The  men 
will  not  be  held  in  much  longer.  They  will  kill  Craggie  if 
they  see  him  today."  And  as  Chambers  hesitated  he  added 
emphatically,  "Move,  man!  Robert  Endy  was  almost  mur- 
dered last  night." 

At  that  word  Chambers  sprang  to  the  car  and,  disre- 
garding Arndt's  warning  to  not  let  the  men  know  what  he 
was  about,  cried  aloud  to  the  conductor  who  was  standing  at 
the  switch  with  his  hand  on  the  lever,  "To  Clvde— at  full 
speed." 

And  this  time  they  went  without  asking  for  the  right  of 
way ;  but,  since  it  was  a  double  track  road,  they  had  only 
to  keep  a  lookout  ahead.  The  conductor  did  not  have  time 
to  lock  the  switch,  and  barely  succeeded  in  catching  the 
rail  of  the  car  steps  and  swinging  himself  aboard— followed 
by  the  execrations  of  the  men,  and  several  harder  things. 

Chambers— who  had  stood  where  he  could  give  a  helpino- 
hand  to  the  conductor— then  stepped  into  the  car  and  found 
Mr.  Craggie  at  the  wash  bowl  holding  on  to  its  side  as  the 
car  swung  with  a  lurch  on  to  the  main  track.  He  motioned 
to  the  conductor,  who  was  close  behind  him,  to  pass  on  to  his 
place  in  the  cab  opposite  to  the  engineer.  The  conductor 
glanced  at  Mr.  Craggie's  wrath-swollen  face  and  made  all 
possible  haste. 

"What  does  this  mean,  Sir?"  cried  the  president  "I 
gave  no  orders  to  start." 

There  was  a  new  and  thrilling  tone  in  the  voice  of  Mr 
Chambers  as  he  quietlv  said,  "But  I  did,  Sir.  Mr  Endv 
was  murdered  in  his  bed— last  nio-ht." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"A  consistent  liar  is  the  Devil  incarnate." 

— Homely  Truths. 

When  Mr.  Craggie  heard  the  words  of  his  secretary  he 
turned  pale  and  stepped  to  the  door  as  if  to  get  air.  As  he 
did  so  he  caught  sight  of  the  men  at  the  same  moment  that 
they  discovered  him,  and  the  sounds  which  reached  his  ears 
were  not  calculated  to  steady  any  man's  nerves. 

By  this  time  the  train  was  flying  along  the  straight  track 
at  a  rate  which  promised  to  cover  the  distance  between  Steel- 
ton  and  Clyde  in  considerably  less  time  than  it  had  ever 
before  been  attempted,  and  the  car  was  swaying  violently. 

Before  they  passed  out  of  sight  Mr.  Craggie  noticed  that 
the  anger  of  the  men  seemed  to  be  turned  toward  a  single 
individual  who  stood  by  himself  on  the  platform,  and  who 
appeared  to  be  paying  no  attention  to  them,  but  was  looking 
after  the  retreating  car. 

"Who  is  that  man,  Chambers?"  he  demanded. 

"That  is  Charles  Arndt,  labor  leader;  and  you  probably 
owe  your  life  to  him  at  this  moment,"  was  the  emphatic 
reply. 

Now,  even  a  Mr.  Craggie  loses  some  of  his  dignity  when 
he  is  standing  with  the  water  dripping  off  a  half  washed  face 
and  with  his  shirt  sleeves  rolled  up,  and  he  felt  that  he 
needed  eve'ry  aid  he  could  secure ;  so  he  said  abruptly :  "Ring 
to  slow  down !  There  is  no  need  for  such  reckless  travel- 
ing ;  every  one  would  think — to  see  the  way  we  go — that  we 
were  running  away." 

Chambers  without  a  word  pulled  the  bell  cord. 

The  president  speedily  completed  his  toilet,  and  in  the 
meantime  Chambers  carefully  deposited  his  hand  satchel  in 
a  corner  where  he  could  keep  his  eye  on  it,  and  then  went 
to  work  sorting  the  letters  which  had  been  written  the 
previous  afternoon ;  and  when  Mr.  Craggie  took  his  seat  at 
the  opposite  side  of  the  table  the  secretary  smiled  into  his 

144 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  145 

face  as  he  coolly  took  up  a  lot  of  the  letters  and  threw  them 
into  the  waste  basket. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Sir?"  Mr.  Craggie  stormed. 

Chambers  hesitated  a  moment  until  he  placed  the  last 
letter  on  one  of  the  other  piles  and  then  he  looked  the  presi- 
dent square  in  the  eye  as  he  asserted — very  calmly — "You 
know  those  editorials  will  not  be  needed  now  and  might  bet- 
ter be  destroyed.  It  is  too  late  for  you  to  try  that  trick. 
Moreover,  they  are  rather  incriminating  themselves — in  view 
of  what  took  place  last  night." 

Mr.  Craggie  took  a  full  minute  to  look  into  the  calm  face 
of  the  secretary,  and  then  his  jaws  closed  with  a  snap  and  he 
said — in  a  tone  of  voice  that  usually  had  a  bad  effect  on  the 
nerves  of  those  who  heard  it — "I  think  that  you  and  I  will 
part  company  at  Clyde,  Mr.  Chambers !  You  are  a  valuable 
man  and  have  been  with  me  for  many  years,  and  I  owe  you 
something  for  a  good  turn  the  other  night,  but  I  never  allow 
a  man  to  address  me  in  that  manner.  Because  a  few  hun- 
dred crazy  strikers  choose  to  howl  and  throw  rocks  and  vio- 
late the  law  by  firing  on  this  car,  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  forget  who  I  am." 

"Oh,  you  are  right  enough  there,  Mr.  Craggie,"  was  the 
prompt  reply,  "that  is  not  sufficient  reason — certainly  not ! 
We  may  part  company  at  Clyde — that  will  be  for  you  to  say 
after  you  have  heard  the  reason  which  I  do  consider  to  be 
quite  sufficient  to  justify  my  manner." 

This  was  said  by  Chambers  in  such  a  quiet,  level  tone 
that  Mr.  Craggie  become  impressed  with  the  idea  that  he 
had  at  least  better  hear  what  this  fool  had  to  say.  That  was 
what  the  president  was  mentally  calling  Chambers ;  for  he 
thought  that  the  chance  for  that  fellow  to  earn  a  living  in  the 
United  States  after  that  day  would  be  very  slim.  So  he  said, 
"Say  your  say,  Mr.  Chambers;  we  have  nothing  to  do  until 
we  reach  Clyde." 

Chambers  coolly  took  a  cigar  from  his  pocket  and  lit  it — 
and  the  insubordination  of  this  disregard  of  one  of  Craggie's 
strictest  rules  told  the  president  that  he  had  a  dangerous 
man  to  deal  with. 

He  pushed  his  own  box  of  cigars  over  to  Chambers  say- 
ing, "I  don't  like  the  kind  you  use.  Sir.    Mine  are  better." 

"Naturally  !"  replied  the  other.  "Naturally  !  Am  happy  to 


146  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

be  able  to  agree  with  you.  What's  good  enough  for  you  is 
good  enough  for  me,"  and  he  took  a  cigar  from  the  box  and 
lit  it  from  his  own  which  he  then  threw  away.  Then  he 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  placed  his  feet  on  the  table,  in 
exact  imitation  of  the  president's  style,  and  said:  "At  the 
snail's  pace  that  we  are  now  traveling  there  will  be  plenty  of 
time  to  tell  you  everything  in  minute  detail  before  we  have 
to  say  good-bye  to  each  other — for  which  last,  I  for  one  will 
be  sincerely  sorry." 

As  Mr.  Craggie  did  not  audibly  reciprocate  this  senti- 
ment, Chambers  continued,  "It  is  quite  as  interesting  a  story 
as  any  I  ever  read.  I  wish  that  I  had  the  literary  ability  to 
do  it  justice." 

Here  the  patience  of  his  hearer  came  to  an  end  and  he 
glared  at  Chambers,  savagely,  and  cried:  "Have  you  any- 
thing to  say?     If  so,  say  it!" 

The  secretary  smiled,  straightened  up  in  his  chair,  threw 
the  newly  lighted  fifty-cent  cigar  into  the  cuspidor,  and 
briskly  said,  "Last  night,  after  I  retired  to  my  room,  a  friend 
of  mine  called  on  me.  He  said  that  he  had  been  concealed 
in  the  cook's  room  ever  since  the  night  we  started,  so  sud- 
denly, on  this  trip  and  left  the  cook  behind  us.  Says  that 
he  slipped  in  to  beg  a  bite  to  eat  from  the  cook — knowing 
that  he'd  be  sure  to  get  it  if  he  said  he  was  my  friend ;  but 
the  cook  was  out,  and,  suddenly  the  car  started — and  he 
kept  quiet;  at  first  because  he  did  not  want  me  to  discover 
him  in  his  dirty  condition, — for  he  had  got  low  down,  sure 
enough — thinking  that  he  would  slip  out  at  the  next  stop- 
ping place.  Afterwards  he  staid  for  other  reasons.  Says 
that  he  found  our  conversations  so  very  interesting  that  he 
could  not  tear  himself  away.  Says  that  he  has  heard  every 
word  that  either  you  or  I  or  Mr.  Johnson  spoke." 

He  paused. 

Mr.  Craggie  started  up  exclaiming:  "Impossible.  It  is  a 
lie!"  But  as  his  thoughts  flew  backwards  he  knew  that  it 
was  not  impossible.  So  he  sank  back  into  his  chair  and  said 
nothing. 

"Impossible  is  the  very  word  I  used,"  continued  Cham- 
bers, "and  when  my  friend  said  that  he  had  heard  every  word 
that  was  spoken  by  us  I  called  him  a  liar ;  but  when  I  remem- 
bered that  we  had  rolled  this  table  down  to  this  end  of  the 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  147 

car  because  the  cook  was  absent  and  it  gave  us  more  room,  I 
knew  that  it  was  not  impossible,  but  highly  probable.  When 
I  called  him  a  liar  he  said,  'Go  slow  young-  fellow !  I  don't 
take  any  harsh  talk  from  Craggie  or  any  of  his  men  since  I 
left  that  car.  But  I  did  stretch  the  truth  a  little,  just  a 
trifle :  There  were  some  words  said  by  Mr.  Craggie  in  the 
conversation  between  himself  and  Johnson  that  I  didn't 
catch.'  " 

Chambers,  from  under  his  half  closed  lids,  watched  the 
man  before  him  as  a  cat  watches  a  mouse,  and  he  was  sure 
that  he  saw  a  look  of  relief  on  the  face  of  the  man ;  then  he 
said  to  himself — as  he  reached  over  and  took  another  cigar 
from  the  box  and  lit  it,  "Risky  shot,  that;  but  reached  the 
mark.'* 

After  this  he  talked  slowly  and  puffed  gently  at  the 
cigar ;  and  between  the  sentences  he  blew  smoke  rings  above 
his  head  and  watched  them  float  away  and  dissolve. 

"Still,"  said  he,  "I  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  the 
man,  for  I  told  him  that  if  he  stuck  to  the  truth  there  was 
nothing  that  you  or  I  had  said  that  would  be  a  cause  for  us 
to  give  him  a  dollar  to  hold  his  tongue ;  for  I  know  that  a 
clever  lawyer  like  Johnson  can  bother  any  man  so  badly  on 
the  witness  stand  when  he  comes  to  tell  a  story  about  a  two 
or  three  day's  old  occurrence  that  I  just  laughed  at  him  and 
told  him  that  I  was  sorry  for  the  inconvenience  he  had  been 
put  to  and  that  I  hoped  the  good  grub  he  had  eaten  at  your 
expense  and  the  pleasure  he  had  derived  from  listening  to 
our  unadulterated  opinions  of  the  world  in  general,  was 
sufficient  to  compensate  him ;  for  that  was  all  he  would 
ever  get  out  of  them. 

"But  then  he  laughed  at  me,  and  called  me  a  fool,  and 
said  that  I  could  judge  better  about  that  after  he  had  given 
me  a  sample  of  his  wares.  And  he  then  insisted  on  reading 
from  his  stenographic  notes  a  specimen  here  and  there " 

At  this  point  Mr.  Craggie  got  up  and  took  a  drink  of 
water  and  then  restlessly  walked  about  the  car  during  the 
remainder  of  the  story.  Chambers  continued  to  talk  and  did 
not  seem  to  care  whether  the  president  was  in  front  of  him 
or  behind  him.  This  sense  of  perfect  security  struck  the 
president  very  unpleasantly. 

"I  found,"  concluded  Chambers,  ''that  my  friend  was  a 


148  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

very  expert  stenographer  indeed,  and  that  he  had  every  im- 
portant bit  of  conversation  that  has  been  uttered  in  this  car, 
on  this  trip,  since  that  night.  I  took  down  at  his  dictation, 
as  a  test  of  the  accuracy  of  the  rest  of  his  notes  a  few  parts 
where  I  knew  all  the  facts ;  and  finding  them  correct  to  the 
letter,  I  then  took  down  the  conversation  between  you  and 
Mr.  Johnson  yesterday  morning.  I  myself  had  a  little 
curiosity  to  know  what  you  were  unwilling  to  have  me  hear 
— and  I  must  say  that  I  don't  wonder  that  one  for  an 
audience  was  sufficient." 

Here  Mr.  Craggie  interrupted  him,  saying  bitterly, 
"There  is  the  weak  spot.  I  have  always  known  it — there's 
the  single  and  only  weak  point !  If  a  man  did  not  have  to 
take  a  human  being  into  his  confidence  he  might  be  Lord  of 
the  Earth  in  a  year.  They  all  betray  you  whenever  it  pays 
them  to  do  it.  How  much  do  you  want  to  hold  your 
tongue?" 

"Now,"  said  Chambers  coolly,  "that  is  not  kind !  I  don't 
see  where  the  talk  about  betrayal  comes  in.  I  never  yet  be- 
trayed anything  that  any  man  trusted  me  with.  You  have 
not  trusted  too  much,  but  too  little.  It  is  good  advice  to 
'Trust  all  or  not  at  all.'  And  you've  not  been  betrayed. 
Who  was  there  to  betray  you  but  Mr.  Johnson — You  surely 
do  not  suspect  him !  You  never  trusted  my  friend ;  yet  he 
has  not  betrayed  you,  for  it  is  all  still  in  your  own  hands — 
though,  of  course,  he  must  be  paid. 

"But,  suppose  that  what  you  say  is  so.  We  will  try  to 
imagine  it  for  the  sake  of  the  argument.  You  look  on  me. as 
an  accomplice.  I  deny  it;  but  supposing  it  were  anybody 
but  Archibald  Chambers  and  that  he  had  been  working  for  a 
man  for  fifteen  years  and  that  he  could  not  remember  a 
single  instance  in  all  those  years  where  the  slightest  thought 
had  been  taken  for  his  welfare,  but  could  without  any  diffi- 
culty remember  times  without  number  when  he  had  had  to 
work  to  the  point  of  exhaustion,  when  he  had  had  to  smile 
and  say  nothing  when  he  was  made  the  butt  of  his  em- 
ployer's ill  temper,  when  he  had  had  to  demean  himself  by 
carrying  out  orders  which  an  honest  man  and  a  gentleman 
should  never  have  conceived.  Add  to  that,  if  you  please, 
that  the  employe  is  in  all  respects,  save  only  wealth,  at  least 
the  equal  of  the  employer,  and  that  for  all  the  harsh  treat- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  149 

ment,  injustice,  supercilious  tones  and  manner  there  has 
been  no  offset  in  the  shape  of  a  single  holiday  or  any  increase 
in  wages — and  that  there  can  in  reality  never  be  any  offset  or 
recompense  for  such  things.  Then  suppose  that  such  a 
secret  as  has  been  confided  to  me  were  confided  to  him  and  I 
ask  you — what  have  you  a  right  to  expect?" 

Mr.  Craggie  made  no  reply,  and  after  a  few  moments 
Chambers  continued :  "You  know  very  well  what  you 
would  have  done  under  the  circumstances.  Now,  see  what 
I  did.  Mr.  Craggie,  I  did  just  what  you  would  hare  done: 
I  became  possessor  of  that  secret — and  at  a  terrible  price ; 
the  price  of  being  looked  upon  as  an  accomplice  in  the  dirt- 
iest piece  of  rascality  known  to  the  world :  blackmail. 
What  do  I  want  with  so  dangerous  a  secret?  The  same 
thing  that  you  are  working  for:  Power.  I  hold  a  secret 
that  makes  the  most  powerful  man  in  the  United  States 
tremble — but  not  I  alone,  and  therein  lies  my  safety." 

"What  do  you  propose  to  do  with  your  power,  Sir," 
demanded  Mr.  Craggie. 

"I  propose,  in  the  first  place,  to  talk  to  you  as  an  equal 
and  without  reservation  until  we  arrive  at  Clyde.  I  have 
been  with  you  for  over  fifteen  years.  I've  never  been  spared 
— day  or  night — in  all  that  time.  After  you  have  dictated 
until  exhausted  you  go  to  bed  and  I  work  until  the  letters 
are  ready  for  the  next  mail,  no  matter  what  time  in  the 
morning  that  may  be.  I've  been  your  slave.  I  have  done 
two  men's  work  and  have  received  slightly  more  than  the 
market  price  for  a  stenographer  of  my  ability." 

"You  never  asked  for  an  increase  of  salary." 

"That  is  perfectly  correct,  I  never  did.  And  therein,  and 
in  all  other  respects,  I  am  totally  different  from  our  sup- 
positious man.  I  have  been  amply  compensated — though, 
perhaps,  in  ways  you  have  not  contemplated  and  cannot 
imagine.  Let  us  take  the  matter  of  cash  remuneration.  I 
have  brought  up  the  salary  to  a  figure  perfectly  satisfactory 
to  me  by  using  almost  the  full  allowance  which  you  set  aside 
to  purchase  the  silence  or  compliance  of  other  men.  I 
think  you  have  had  better  service  in  that  direction  since  I 
took  charge  than  ever  before — so,  there  I  have  not  defrauded 
you.     You  paid  for  the  article  and  got  it. 

"I  will  tell  vou  this  much  right  here.     It  is  useless  for  a 


150  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

rich  man  to  play  the  game  you  are  all  playing,  and  think 
of  winning  by  bribery.  Fear  is  a  much  more  powerful 
lever.  I'm  a  pretty  rich  man  myself  today — entirely  too 
rich  to  risk  losing  it  by  blackmailing  any  one — owing  to 
those  so-called  presents.  I  call  it  "That  corruption  fund.' 
You  expected  me  to  steal  part  of  it,  you  know.  I  never  stole 
a  cent  of  it,  for  I  gave  you  full  value  for  every  dollar ;  but  I 
did  not  waste  those  dollars  on  other  people.  It  takes  time 
and  energy — which  I  couldn't  spare  from  my  life  work — to 
bribe  people ;  and  it  always  gives  me  a  nasty  feeling  to  try  it. 
Moreover,  it  is  not  invariably  successful,  either;  and  then 
you  have  an  insulted  man  on  your  hands. 

"So,  I  simply  used  the  power  of  your  name  and  the 
power  of  your  position ;  and  there  isn't  a  man  in  the  country 
today  who  refuses  to  obey  the  orders  I  give  in  your  name — 
or  if  he  does  he  may  as  well  hunt  for  a  comfortable  existence 
in  heaven  or  in  hell — he  will  not  find  a  chance  to  earn  it  on 
the  earth.  And  I  don't  have  to  use  your  name  very  often, 
either. 

"You  are  certainly  candid,  Sir;  would  you  object  to  stat- 
ing your  other  compensation?"  said  Mr.  Craggie  sneeringly. 

"At  the  proper  time,  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  doing  so; 
but  at  present,  I  find  neither  the  time  nor  the  inclination  to 
state  more  than  that  none  of  the  things  which  would  in- 
fluence our  suppositious  man  to  purchase  the  secret  have 
power  to  move  me.  I  find  my  joy  and  my  life  in  the 
sense  of  power  which  the  faithful  performance  of  my  daily 
work  brings  me.  For  this  reason  I  wish  to  continue  as  your 
private  secretary.  Moreover,  because  the  money  you  are 
to  pay  to  my  friend  must  pass  through  my  hands,  it  will  be 
necessary  for  me  to  so  remain,  at  least  until  the  payment  is 
completed.  He  is  working  for  himself  and  says  that  one 
million  in  greenbacks,  Gold  Certificates,  or  National  Bank 
notes  will  do  for  him  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  refuses 
to  personally  deal  with  you,  as  he  says  he  would  not  give  a 
pinch  of  snuff"  for  his  life  if  you  could  lay  hands  on  him. 
I  told  him  that  he  does  not  know  you,  that  you  would  not  do 
such  a  thing — for  one  reason,  because  you  have  not  the 
courage  to  plan  such  a  thing — much  less  execute  it. 

"But  he  pointed  out  the  blank  space  in  the  stenographic 
notes  and  retorted,  'What  was  he  saying  to  Johnson  when  I 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  151 

who  had  my  ear  not  ten  feet  away. from  his  head  couldn't 
hear  a  word  for  several  minutes  ?' ': 

(There  was  more  than  one  risky  assertion  in  this  last, 
but  Chambers  was  pretty  sure  of  the  habits  of  Mr.  Craggie, 
by  this  time,  and  he  saw  at  once  that  he  had  scored  again.) 

"How  did  your  man  get  out  of  the  car?"  demanded  Mr. 
Craggie.  "The  door  was  locked  when  I  returned  from  the 
restaurant,  for  I  had  to  use  my  key.  I  remember  that  very 
distinctly,  and  also  that  all  the  windows  were  tightly  fast- 
ened on  the  inside — for  I  looked  at  them  before  I  retired." 

"Oh,"  said  Chambers,  "I  almost  forgot  to  give  you  the 
key  I  made  him  surrender  to  me."  And  here  he  handed  to 
the  president  a  key — plainly  a  duplicate  made  to  order. 
"That  key,"  said  he,  "is,  you  know,  the  one  we  had  made 
for  the  cook.  He  always  hangs  it  in  his  room  behind  the 
door,  when  he  is  in  the  car." 

"I'll  have  those  locks  changed,  tomorrow,"  said  the 
president. 

"It  will  scarcely  be  necessary,  Sir.  My  friend  will  cer- 
tainly not  trust  himself  in  this  car  again — there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  him  to  know  more  than  at  present." 

During  this  whole  conversation  Chambers  had  not  once 
shown  the  slightest  sign  of  being  in  a  hurry,  nor  had  he 
raised  his  voice ;  and,  while  his  words  were  impudent,  his 
tone  was  not;  the  thought  in  his  mind  being,  "I'll  tell  you 
today  all  that  I  want  to  say — tomorrow's  mighty  uncertain." 

The  effect  on  Mr.  Craggie  was  to  impress  on  him  how 
absolutely  sure  this  man  must  be  of  his  position,  that  he 
dared  to  sit  there  and  talk  in  this  manner  to  him.  Chambers 
had  started  suddenly  when  asked  about  the  key;  but  his 
subsequent  words  accounted  for  that — but  he  said  to  him- 
self, even  while  handing  the  key,  "Narrow  shave,  that!  Good 
I  thought  about  that  key  while  he  was  washing." 

"Here,"  said  he,  "is  the  translation,  and,  I  may  be  mis- 
taken but,  it  seems  to  me  that  that  blank  space  on  the  paper 
is  about  the  worst  feature  of  the  whole  business— in  view 
of  the  attempted  murder  of  Mr.  Endy." 

"I  thought  you  said  he  was  dead!"  said  Mr.  Craggie 
sharply. 

"You  must  have  been  excited,"  said  Chambers  with  a 
smile.      "Arndt  said  only,  'nearly  murdered,'  or  something 


152  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

similar.  I  had  not  a  moment  to  waste  in  asking  him  par- 
ticulars; it  was  a  case  of  getting  this  train  moving;  but  it 
makes  very  little  difference  either  way — the  man  may  be 
dead  now  for  all  we  know,  and  if  not,  here  is  the  situation  in 
a  few  words." 

"Oh,  you  need  not  repeat  it !"  said  his  hearer  impatiently. 

"Well,  I'm  glad  that  you  grasp  it,"  said  Chambers  coolly, 
"only,  you  must  add  to  it  several  other  things,  one  of  which 
is  the  corroborating  testimony  which  I  would  have  to  give  if 
put  on  the  stand — and  I've  never  perjured  myself  yet  for  any 
man,  and  don't  propose  to  do  so — even  for  you.  I  feel  per- 
fectly safe  in  serving  my  friend  in  this  way  because,  even  if 
you  should  fail  to  see  that  I  am  in  reality  serving  you  more 
than  I  am  serving  him,  you  will  not  fail  to  understand  that 
the  man  who  had  the  nerve  to  take  those  notes  isn't  going 
to  let  anything  happen  to  me  without  handing  over  the  whole 
evidence  to  the  labor  leaders — even  if  he  doesn't  get  a  cent 
besides  what  I  have  already  given  him — which,  by  the  way, 
I'll  thank  you  to  give  me  a  check  for  right  now." 

"This  is  simply  blackmail !  What  did  you  give  the  fellow 
money  for?"  stormed  Mr.  Craggie. 

"To  keep  him  from  handing  over  the  evidence  of  your 
guilt  to  the  strikers,"  said  Chambers.  "If  you  regret  or 
disavow  my  action,  you  can  openly  repudiate  it' now,  and 
everything  is  as  it  was  except  that  I  am  out  the  money. 
And  as  for  the  blackmail,  why  of  course  it  is  that — neither 
more  nor  less — on  his  part;  but  I  have  heard  you  say,  very 
often,  that  hard  names  break  no  bones,  and  the  man  is  pur- 
suing your  own  methods  so  closely  that  I  asked  him  whether 
he  had  not  taken  lessons  from  you.  But  he  only  laughed  at 
me  and  said  that  there  are  plenty  more  rich  men  built  on 
your  plan,  in  this  country,  to  take  lessons  from.  As  for 
the  money  I  paid  him — "  here  he  took  another  cigar  from 
.the  box  and  lit  it — "you  can  do  as  you  please  about  that.  It 
was  only  a  thousand  dollar  bill,  (a  special  'Canal-completion- 
(commemorative  Gold  Certificate' — one  of  the  issue  with  the 
'Craggie-portrait'  medallion, — you  know — )  that  I  have 
fallen  into  the  habit  of  carrying  about  with  me ;  and  I  would 
willingly  lose  several  times  that  amount  to  prevent  the  strik- 
ers from  knowing  what  my  friend  and  I  know." 

Without  saying  a  word  in  reply  Mr.  Craggie  drew  out 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  153 

his  check  book  and  filled  out  a  check  for  the  amount ;  for 
although  he  had  that  same  little  habit  of  carrying  about  a 
thousand  dollar  bill  in  order,  as  he  said,  to  never  be  caught 
without  change,  he  did  not  give  the  bill  to  Chambers. 

As  he  handed  the  paper  to  the  secretary  he  said,  "This 
purchases  those  lying  notes,  I  think?" 

"Certainly,  if  you  wish  them.  I  can  get  as  many  dupli- 
cates as  are  necessary,  though,  of  course,  the  others  might 
not  agree  with  this  word  for  word" — and  he  handed  the 
papers  to  Air.  Craggie  who,  as  he  took  in  the  accuracy  of  the 
work  involuntarily  exclaimed,  "I'd  like  to  hire  that  man.  He 
is  a  better  stenographer  than  you." 

"Much  better,"  was  the  quiet  reply.  "I  thought  I  said 
that  he  is  the  best  I  have  ever  seen.  Nothing  escapes  his 
ear,  and  his  notes — where  he  has  anything  on  which  to  rest 
his  book — are  almost  like  copper  plate  if  one  does  not  dictate 
over  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  words  a  minute. 

"That  translation  of  the  notes,  is,  of  course,  in  my  hand, 
as  you  see ;  and  so  far  as  penmanship  goes  there  is  nothing 
to  be  said  for  it — for  he  was  in  a  great  rush  to  get  away  and 
in  hiding.  I  am  glad  that  you  acknowledge  the  general 
accuracy  of  the  work,  (the  president  winced)  and  I  think 
you  will  agree  with  me  as  to  his  ability  when  I  hand  the 
original  notes  to  you — as  I  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  do.  At 
present  they  are  not  in  my  possession,  and  will  not  be  until 
the  last  cent  has  been  paid.  I  don't,  however,  think  that  he 
will  trust  himself  any  closer  to  you  than  he  at  this  moment  is 
during  this  life — if  he  can  help  it." 

After  Mr.  Craggie  had  finished  reading  he  asked :  "Why 
is  not  the  remainder  of  the  conversation  here?  I  think  that 
what  followed  would  have  convinced  even  you  that  there 
was  no  intention  of  anything  more  than  a  slight  incon- 
venience to  Mr.  Endy  intended  by  either  Mr.  Johnson  or 
myself.  You  know  that  neither  the  company  nor  I  could 
have  received  a  worse  blow  than  that  any  injury  should 
befall  Mr.  Endy  or  any  of  the  labor  leaders  at  this  time." 

"I  know  nothing  about  any  more  of  the  conversation," 
interrupted  Chambers.  "I  assure  you  on  my  honor  as  a 
gentleman  that  that  is  every  word  he  let  me  hear.  My 
informant  said  that  while  the  rest  would  be  likely  to  be  of 
great  interest  to  me  or  to  the  court  or  to  the  public,  yet  he 


154  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

proposed  to  stop  right  there.  And  he  further  remarked 
that  he  did  not  intend  that  there  should  be  any  more  of  it — ■ 
and  so  he  made  a  hiatus  of  the  remainder  of  that  conversa- 
tion and  said  that  Johnson  and  you  could  try  to  recollect  the 
other  part  so  as  to  be  able  to  tell  it  on  the  witness  stand,  to- 
gether with  the  portion  he  could  not  hear — if  you  wanted  to 
do  so  and  thought  that  anybody  would  believe  you  if  it  hap- 
pened to  contradict  his  testimony,  backed  up  by  his  good 
character  and  evidence." 

"Good  character  of  a  common  sneak  thief  and  black- 
mailer! I  like  that,"  said  Mr.  Craggie.  "Of  all  the  gall 
that  ever  I  heard  that  is  the  most  unadulterated." 

Chambers  shook  his  head  in  disapproval  of  the  sentiment, 
and  said,  "If  you  knew  him  you  would  not  think  so.  I  will 
say  to  you  that  my  friend — up  to  this  time — has  led  a  per- 
fectly blameless  life,  and  that  his  testimony  on  the  stand 
would  be  simply  unimpeachable.  He  could  even  deny — 
truthfully — that  he  had  even  attempted  to  blackmail  you,  for 
I  have  not  a  bit  of  authority  to  do  more  than  hand  you  those 
papers  and  see  whether  you  wish  him  to  show  them  to  the 
strikers.  The  million  I  mention  is  simply  the  amount  he 
named  as  his  price  to  them." 

"Why,  he  must  be  the  devil  incarnate,"  said  Mr.  Craggie. 

"Oh,  no,  I  think  not ;  he  is  no  worse  than  several  men  I 
have  met.  Not  a  bit  worse.  Simply  following  your  own 
practice,  and  living  up  to  the  motto  of  all  rich  men,  which 
runs,  'EGO  !  EGO !  EGO !'  " 

"Well,  here  we  are  at  Clyde,"  concluded  the  secretary 
after  waiting  in  vain  for  some  reply  to  his  last  impertinence. 
I  will  leave  you  to  think  the  matter  over.  If  you  wish  to 
deliver  me  to  the  police,  there  is  one  on  the  platform ;  or  if 
you  wish  me  to  still  act  as  your  secretary  I  will  telephone  to 
Johnson  to  come  down  and  talk  with  you  immediately.  I 
have  no  wish  that  you  should  decide  this  matter  at  once  or 
without  his  advice.  It  may  be  that  he  can  discover  some 
means  to  save  you  without  silencing  my  friend ;  if  he  does, 
he  is  even  smarter  than  I  think  he  is — for  I  see  but  the  one 
way  out.  And  I  must  have  a  decisive  answer  before  five 
o'clock  this  afternoon.  I  expect  to  return  before  that  time 
— but  I  may  be  detained,  as  I  have  several  matters  besides  the 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  155 

cashing  of  this  check  to  attend  to.      Shall  I  telephone,  or 
call  the  policeman?"' 

"Telephone,"  was  the  reply  of  the  badgered  man ;  but  to 
himself  he  said,  'I'll  pay  you  for  every  moment  of  this  morn- 
ing some  day,  young  fellow." 

As  soon  as  Chambers  left  the  car  (with  the  little  satchel 
in  his  hand)  Mr.  Craggie  walked  to  the  partition  of  the 
cook's  room  and  examined  it  minutely ;  and  at  the  height  of 
an  average  sized  man  he  found  a  hole  bored  through  the 
partition  at  a  place  where  it  would  not  be  noticed  unless 
carefully  looked  for.  (Chambers  knew  it  was  there,  for  he 
had  caught  the  cook  listening  at  it— and  that  gave  him  his 
hold  on  the  cook.) 

Now,  this  corroborated  Chambers'  story  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  the  president  only  walked  to  the  telegraph  office 
and  sent  a  cypher  message  to  his  confidential  agent  in  Steel- 
ton,  saying,  "Find  out  whether  any  one  visited  Chambers 
in  his  room  at  the  hotel  last  night." 

The  reply  came  while  he  was  ordering  breakfast:  "No 
one  seen  to  enter  or  leave  the  room ;  but  a  man  was  seen 
leaving  the  hallway,  and  servant  says  that  some  one  was 
heard  speaking  in  the  room  during  a  great  portion  of  the 
night,  and  at  times  a  conversation  was  carried  on.  Servant 
says  there  would  be  no  trouble  in  going  in  or  out  without 
being  detected." 

That  finished  the  investigation  by  Mr.  Craggie.  An  able 
man  might  have  seen  further  and  done  more ;  but  men  of 
the  world  all  knew  that  if  Mr.  Craggie  had  been  born  poor 
he  would  never  have  been  heard  of  outside  of  his  own  fam- 
ily. Indeed,  shrewd  financiers  often  openly  expressed  their 
wonder  and  astonishment  at  the  success  of  such  a  man.  But 
the  chiefs  of  departments  who  occasionally — though  rarely 
— had  personal  audiences  with  him  (for  it  was  his  policy  to 
make  himself  almost  inaccessible)  spoke  secretly  of  the 
amazing  ability  of  the  Private  Secretary;  and  Martinvale, 
the  most  bitter  opponent  of  Craggie,  once — after  such  an 
interview  in  which  he  came  off  defeated,  owing  to  a  low 
voiced  suggestion  of  Chambers — sat  down  and  wrote  to 
Chambers,  saying,  "Multiply  your  present  salary  by  five, 
and  come  to  me — or  if  that  is  not  sufficient,  set  your  own 
figure."     But  Chambers  seemed  to  be  perfectly  satisfied  and 


156  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

contented,  and  courteously  refused  all  such  offers —  stat- 
ing simply  that  he  expected  to  remain  with  President  Crag- 
gie  until  the  day  of  his  death,  unless  Mr.  Craggie  should 
intimate  that  he  no  longer  desired  his  services. 

And  this  was  truly  the  first  day  since  Chambers  entered 
his  employ  that  the  idea  of  doing  without  him  had  presented 
itself  to  the  rich  man.  And  after  he  returned  to  the  car — ■ 
to  which  he  ordered  the  breakfast  brought — he  thought 
gloomily  of  the  future  and  called  Mr.  Endy  very  uncom- 
plimentary names  for  having  by  his  folly  made  of  himself  a 
shining  mark  for  some  one  to  strike  at,  thus  involving  him, 
Mr.  Craggie,  in  trouble. 

Then,  on  the  platform  of  the  station,  he  saw  a  detective 
who  had  often  worked  for  him,  and  he  signaled  for  the  man. 
As  soon  as  he  approached  the  side  of  the  car  Mr.  Craggie 
said,  "Follow  Chambers !  First  National  Bank.  Notice 
whom  he  speaks  to,  and  report  to  me." 

The  man  touched  his  hat  and  went  at  once. 

Chambers,  on  leaving  the  car,  first  of  all  telephoned  for 
Mr.  Johnson  who  did  not  seem  anxious  to  obey  orders  that 
morning;  for  the  news  of  the  attack  upon  Mr.  Endy,  the 
night  before,  was,  of  course,  the  one  thing  talked  about — 
hourly  bulletins  were  being  posted  as  to  his  condition. 
Moreover,  when  Mr.  Johnson  learned  from  Chambers  that 
the  president  had  followed  him  back  towards  Clyde  as  far  as 
Steelton,  immediately  on  their  saying  good-bye  on  the  pre- 
ceding day,  he  put  several  things  together  in  his  mind,  as  is 
the  habit  of  lawyers,  and  they  did  not  in  this  instance  make 
a  very  pleasant  total  to  look  at. 

So,  it  took  quite  an  emphatic  word  from  Chambers  to 
make  him  say  that  he  would  see  Mr.  Craggie  at  once ;  and 
his  carriage  passed  that  of  Chambers  who  was  then  on  his 
way  to  the  Bank. 

Now,  on  coming  out  of  the  Bank,  Chambers  became 
aware  that  he  was  being  followed ;  but,  as  secrecy  was  no 
part  of  his  plans  at  this  stage  of  the  game,  he  took  no  meas- 
ures to  evade  the  detective  but  stopped  his  carriage  a  num- 
ber of  times  and  went  to  the  sidewalk  to  speak  to  four  dif- 
ferent persons — one  of  these  he  talked  to  very  earnestly  for 
several  minutes. 

On  re-entering  the  carriage  this  last  time,  he  called  out 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  157 

loudly  to  the  driver :  "To  the  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust  Com- 
pany's building!"  and  as  he  already  had  a  private  box  there 
no  time  was  wasted  after  his  arrival ;  and  soon  he  had  placed 
within  the  box  everything  his  hand  satchel  had  contained. 
Then  he  returned  to  the  office  and  said  to  the  clerk,  whom 
he  knew  very  well:  "Freddy,  old  man,  I  may  have  to  go 
abroad  on  business  for  Craggie,  and  these  ocean  voyages  in 
winter  time  are  not  always  pleasant.  I  guess  I  had  better 
fix  up  some  papers  so  that  there  will  be  no  trouble  for  my 
heirs  to  get  things  out  of  my  box,  Eh?" 

"It  is  a  good  plan,  even  if  you  stay  at  home,"  was  the 
reply.  "Better  make  out  a  power  of  attorney  at  once.  Here 
are  some  blanks." 

"All  right!  Thanks.  I'll  do  so,  and  leave  it  in  the 
hands  of  my  attorney,  as  I  have  no  direct  heirs — haven't  any 
wife  or  children,  you  know." 

Every  word  of  this  conversation  was  carried  on  slowly 
and  earnestly  as  if  he  desired  to  make  an  impression  on  the 
mind  of  his  hearer. 

After  he  left  the  Deposit  Building  he  instructed  the 
driver  to  carry  him  quickly  to  the  office  of  Harry  Chandler, 
Esq. 

Before  entering  the  carriage  he  stood  with  his  foot  on  the 
step  and  waited  for  the  detective  who  was  shadowing  him, 
and  who  was  passing  the  building.  "Howdy,  Johnnie,"  he 
said.  "Better  come  along.  What's  the  use  of  following? 
It  will  be  much  easier,  and  considerably  cheaper,  to  find  out 
all  about  me  and  my  doings  if  we  travel  together." 

"Follow,  nothing!"  exclaimed  the  man  as  he  shook  hands 
with  him.  "What's  got  into  your  head?"  But  then  he 
laughed  and  said,  "All  right !  Good  idea  of  yours.  No  ob- 
jection if  you  hain't,"  and  he  stepped  into  the  carriage  after 
Chambers. 

As  soon  as  they  were  started  he  said  in  a  low  tone  to 
Chambers,  "What's  the  matter  with  the  old  man  that  he's 
telegraphing  cypher  all  over  the  country  about  your  doings 
and  setting  me  on  you  at  this  end?" 

"Oh,  that's  just  like  him,"  said  Chambers,  "he  got  up 
that  cypher  himself  and  thinks  that  no  one  but  the  initiated 
can  read  it.  He's  just  wild  to  use  it.  Never  misses  a  chance. 
There  is  nothing  the  matter — nothing  unusual.      I  simplv 


158  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

told  him  that  I  had  a  little  private  business  of  my  own  to 
attend  to>  today,  and  as  I  didn't  think  it  necessary  to  tell  him 
all  about  it  he  is  trying  to  find  out  on  his  own  account.  Yoit 
see,  he  is  only  at  his  usual  business  of  trying  to  keep  up 
with  all  that's  going  on  in  the  universe,  in  order  to  run  it  his 
way ;  and,  as  I  am  not  able  to  help  him  today,  he's  making  a 
mess  of  it.  Things  will  move  along  a  trifle  smoother  when 
I  take  hold  again.  Now,  I  have  a  little  business  to  attend 
to  right  here,  and  I  think  you  might  as  well  remain  in  the 
cab  until  I  come  out ;  but,  of  course,  you'll  not  do  it." 

"Couldn't  think  of  it!"  was  the  laughing  reply. 

They  entered  Chandler's  office  together.  As  soon  as  the 
clerks  saw  who  the  two  men  were  there  was  a  little  stir  of 
commotion,  and  then  Chambers  said  to  the  chief  clerk,  "Pri- 
vate business  with  Mr.  Chandler." 

In  a  few  moments  the  door  of  the  private  office  opened, 
and  Chambers  smiled  as  he  said — in  a  low  tone  to  the  detec- 
tive :  "I'll  leave  you  here,  and  I  understand  that  that  room 
does  not  leak.  Now  go  and  tell  Craggie  that  I  am  in  con- 
sultation with  the  strikers'  attorney." 

"Had  to  come  as  far  as  possible,"  was  the  reply. 

"That's  all  right,  Johnnie ;  didn't  expect  anything  else  of 
you,"  and  he  waved  his  hand  pleasantly  to  him  as  he  stepped 
into  the  room — where  Chandler  at  his  desk  had  been  watch- 
ing this  little  by-play — and  then  he  shut  the  door  behind 
him. 

He  went  close  to  Chandler  and  said — in  a  low  tone  of 
voice :  "You  know  me  ?" 

Chandler  nodded. 

"Well,"  he  continued,  "I  want  you  to  draw  up  a  power  of 
attorney  for  me,  giving  Arndt  and  yourself — or  either  of 
you — the  authority  to  take  possession  of  my  box  number 
ten-hundred-and-five  in  the  Deposit  Vault,  thirty  days  after 
you  fail  to  receive  through  the  mail  a  daily  letter  from  me 
which  will  say  only,  T  am  well.'  " 

Without  a  word  the  lawyer  drew  up  the  brief  form  neces- 
sary and  then  pressed  the  button  on  his  desk,  and  to  the 
clerk  who  opened  the  door  he  said  quietly  and  very  kindly : 
"A  Notary  and  two  witnesses,  please." 

The  Notary  was  in  an  adjoining  office  and  the  two  clerks 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  159 

served  as  the  witnesses,  and  the  whole  business  was  com- 
pleted in  a  few  minutes. 

Chandler  had  left  the  room  while  the  Notary  was  doing 
his  work,  and  on  his  return  he  said:  "Gentlemen,  this  is  en- 
tirely private." 

"Certainly,  Sir,"  was  the  reply  from  all. 

When  they  were  again  alone  Chambers  said,  "In  order  to 
impress  upon  you  the  importance  of  that  paper  I  will  say 
that  it  is  of  immense  value  to  the  cause  of  the  workingmen 
the  world  over.  I  have  no  love  for  the  men  or  their  cause ; 
if  I  had,  I  should  hand  the  box  and  its  contents  over  to 
you  at  once;  but  there  are  certain  contingencies,  which  may 
arise,  which  would  cause  me  to  wish  them  to  succeed  in  their 
fight  with  Craggie — and  I  have  taken  this  method  to  insure 
that  result. 

"You  will  understand  that  a  man  who  has  occupied  the 
position  I  have  filled  for  fifteen  years  will  hold  so  many 
secrets  in  his  head  that  some  day  that  head  may  not  rest 
very  securely  on  his  shoulders. 

"If  that  time  should  ever  come  to  me,  I  will  be  all  the 
better  off  if  I  am  able  to  point  to  the  fact  that  you  hold  this 
document. 

"For  the  present  I  want  you  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  those  daily  letters,  until  I  tell  you  to  stop.  Acknowledge 
them  by  the  next  mail  and  use  a  plain  envelope.  This  is 
very  important !  I've  got  Mr.  Craggie  to  deal  with — please 
remember.  I  want  to  remain  as  private  secretary  for  a  while 
longer." 

Chandler  said,  "All  right,"  and  placed  the  paper  in  his 
private  compartment  of  the  safe,  and  then  made  the  remark 
that  Chambers  was  showing  a  good  bit  of  confidence  in  the 
honor  of  Arndt  and  himself. 

"Oh,  that's  all  right ;  I  know  my  men.  One  has  to  trust 
somebody  in  this  world  all  the  time.  It's  only  a  question 
of  choosing  the  right  men.  I  would  not  trust  any  man  who 
had  associated  with  Craggie — any  more  than  I  would  trust 
him." 

"Why,  that  lets  you,  yourself,  out!" 

"I  suppose  so,  but  I  can't  make  any  exceptiono,"  said 
Chambers,  and  laughed  heartily. 

He  then  placed  five  one  hundred  dollar  bills  on  the  table 


i6o  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

with  the  remark :  "Put  that  to  my  credit.  It  will  give  you  a 
lot  of  trouble  to  attend  to  those  letters ;  for  you  must  attend 
to  them  personally,  and  I  cannot  tell  how  long  I  may  be 
compelled  to  keep  in  touch  with  some  one  who  has  an  inter- 
est in  me,  in  this  way.  Remember,  no  clerk  must  even  post 
those  letters;  money  must  not  be  spared  to  keep  my  affairs 
secret.     Say  the  word  when  you  want  more." 

Chandler  remarked — as  he  entered  the  amount  in  a  book 
— "It  does  not  take  so  much  money  as  you  seem  to  think. 
This  will  go  a  long  way.  I  simply  pay  my  clerks  exactly 
what  their  services  are  worth  to  me.  Of  course,  that  is 
much  above  the  market  rates ;  but  I  have  never  had  to 
change  clerks,  and  secrets  do  not  leave  this  office,  and  simply 
because  I  treat  the  clerks  like  men — their  interests  and  mine 
are  identical.  But  I  will  attend  to  all  this  personally,  if  you 
wish  it." 

"Do  so!  May  be  you  are  right — years  ago  I  thought  as 
you  do.  But  it  isn't  Craggie's  way,  any  more  than  it  now  is 
mine.     I  use  fear,  mostly." 

Then  he  went  to  the  door,  and  after  standing  for  a 
minute  or  longer  with  his  hand  on  the  knob  he  came  back 
and  seated  himself  again,  saying,  "Chandler !  You  are  a  man 
who — if  my  life  had  not  been  spoiled — would  have  been  my 
choice  as  a  comrade.  At  present  and  in  the  future  I  must 
stand  alone ;  but  I  am  going  to  give  you  a  proof  that  I  appre- 
ciate your  not  asking  me  for  any  information  that  could  aid 
the  strikers,  although  I  have  as  good  as  told  you  that  I  have 
it  in  my  power  to  defeat  Craggie.  Now  listen :  "Keep  the 
men  from  doing  anything  that  zvill  give  the  general  govern- 
ment even  a  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  bringing  the  regular 
army  against  them,  and  use  all  the  pozver  and  influence  of 
your  organization  to  prevent  the  president  of  the  United 
States  from  entangling  us  in  a  war  zvith  any  foreign  nation 
— at  least  until  this  strike  is  over.  Let  me  emphasize  that 
last !  The  men  will  be  compelled,  by  force  of  arms,  to  run 
the  works  if  war  is  declared — or  they  will  be  executed  as 
traitors  if  they  refuse.  I  know  what  I  am  saying;  Craggie's 
plans  include  that  and  much  more  for  the  strike  he  expected 
to  force  the  men  into  on  the  first  of  April  next.  I  am  be- 
traying no  secrets  of  my  office:  This  information  I  have 
from  outside  sources." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  161 

Then  Chandler  got  up  and  shook  hands  with  him,  say- 
ing, "I  believe  you  care  more  for  the  men  and  their  cause 
than  you  are  willing  to  allow." 

"But  Chambers  indignantly  repudiated  the  idea.  "No, 
no!"  he  exclaimed:  "I  tell  you  the  mass  are  not  to  be 
trusted — if  it  were  not  for  their  playing  the  traitor  to  their 
fellows  and  acting  as  slave  drivers  for  such  men  as  Crag- 
gie,  Craggies  would  never  be.  What  I  have  said  is  not  for 
them  or  their  cause ;  I  spoke,  perhaps  foolishly,  solely  for 
and  to  Harry  Chandler.  When  the  men  are  ready  for  and 
wish  equality  they  can  and  will  get  it  within  twenty-four 
hours.      Good-bye." 

When  Chambers  went  into  the  public  office  he  was  not 
surprised  to  find  that  Johnnie  had  departed,  and  he  saw  him 
just  coming  from  a  telephone  office  on  the  corner  of  the 
street  as  he  rode  past.  He  stopped  his  team  and  called  to 
the  man ;  and  when  he  was  seated  beside  him  and  they  were 
once  more  on  the  way  to  the  station  he  said,  "Through  with 
that  job  for  Craggie?"  and  as  soon  as  he  received  an  affirma- 
tive reply  he  continued,  "Well,  I  want  you  to  work  for  me 
now.  You  must  find  out  everything  about  this  Endy  case ; 
where  Robert  was ;  what  he  did ;  whether  he  is  guilty  or 
not, — everything,  and  don't  let  them  discover  what  you  are 
up  to  as  easily  as  I  did  today." 

'There's  not  another  Chambers  in  the  bunch,"  said  the 
detective,  "and  even  you  would  not  have  found  out  so  much 
if  I  had  been  able  to  forget  who  it  was  that  helped  me  out 
of  the  tightest  place  in  my  life "  and  he  grasped  Cham- 
bers' hand  and  shook  it  heartily. 

There  was  a  genuinely  pleasant  smile  on  the  pale  face  of 
Chambers  as  he  returned  the  hand  clasp ;  but  it  immediately 
died  away,  and  he  said,  "That's  all  right,  that's  all  right, 
and  we  are  soon  going  to  be  more  than  even — for  this  is 
my  tight  place,  and  I  am  needing  you." 

"Till  death !"  said  his  companion  and  left  him  at  once. 

When  Chambers  arrived  at  the  depot  he  saw  that  the 
private  car  was  still  on  its  siding  and  he  seemed  to  be  in  no 
hurry  to  know  what  decision  had  been  reached,  for  he  spent 
a  full  hour  in  eating  the  dinner  he  ordered  at  the  restaurant ; 
but  he  seated  himself  near  the  window  where  he  could  see  if 
any  one  entered  or  left  the  car.     Then  he  leisurely  went 


1 62  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

across  the  tracks ;  and  as  he  entered  the  car  he  heard  Mr. 
Craggie  say  petulantly,  "Well,  if  that  is  all  you  can  sug- 
gest, Mr.  Johnson,  I  have  no  option  but  to  pay." 

There  was  great  significance  in  the  haste  with  which 
the  lawyer  arose  and  allowed  Chambers  to  take  his  usual 
place  at  the  desk,  and  Mr.  Craggie  took  note  of  it. 

Chambers  said  coolly,  as  he  dropped  into  the  chair,  "If 
it  were  not  for  the  fact  that  sooner  or  later  Mr.  Johnson 
would  get  it  all  back  from  you,  I  would  suggest  that  you 
ask  him  to  help  bear  the  expense,  as  he  is  in  it  pretty  deep 
himself." 

"I  can  prove  an  alibi,  easily  enough,"  was  the  quick  re- 
tort. 

"Certainly,  certainly!"  said  Chambers,  "you  were  not 
there — and  Mr.  Craggie  insists  that  he  was  not — but  still, 
there  is  the  crime  committed,  and  there  is  my  friend  with  his 
damning  testimony ;  and  I  will  ask  you  how  much  difference 
does  the  law  make  between  an  accessory  before  the  fact  and 
a  principal,  Mr.  Johnson?" 

To  this  he  received  no  reply,  and  he  said,  speaking  to  the 
two  men — "I  have  just  had  a  conference  with  my  friend, 
and—" 

"You  have  just  had  a  conference  with  Chandler,"  said 
the  president. 

"Which  is  what  I  was  immediately  going  to  tell  you," 
said  Chambers.  My  friend  does  not  at  all  like  the  risks  he 
will  have  to  run,  and  he  upbraids  me  with  putting  him  in  the 
position  of  a  blackmailer,  and  he  insisted  on  my  seeing  Chan- 
dler to  ascertain  whether  the  strikers  were  willing  and  able 
to  pay  for  information  of  a  certain  character.  I  think 
you  know  me  well  enough  to  be  certain  that  I  found  out  all 
I  want  to  know — and  that  without  telling  Chandler  more 
than  I  wished  him  to  know.  My  friend  agrees  to  wait  till 
midnight  before  going  to  the  strike  leaders.  I  told  him  I 
had  promised  you  that  much  time — I  thought  that  you  might 
wish  to  leave  the  country  if  you  decided  not  to  pay.  Or, 
on  the  other  hand,  his  plan  is  that  I  shall  be  furnished  with 
a  sum  in  notes,  every  morning  for  the  ensuing  ten  days, 
commencing  on  Monday  next ;  each  package  to  contain  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars." 

Mr.  Johnson  had  been  thinking  earnestly,  and  he  now 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  163 

suggested,  "Why  not  have  Mr.  Craggie  and  me  get  the  first 
installment  today  and  pay  it  at  once?'' 

But  Chambers  only  smiled  at  him  and  said,  "No,  thank 
you,  Mr.  Johnson,  I  neither  could  nor  would  receive  a  cent 
today.  The  money  must  not  remain  in  my  hands  over  night 
at  any  time,  and  it  is  necessary  th.t  I  receive  a  communica- 
tion from  my  friend  before  I  shall  know  where  to  deliver  to 
him  even  the  first  payment ;  and,  besides,  you  will  need  time 
to  make  arrangements  for  the  bank  to  have  the  money 
ready  for  you.  My  friend  is  in  no  particular  hurry.  If  you 
want  a  little  more  time  to  start  payment  it  might,  I  suppose, 
be  arranged ;  but  once  started  it  must  be  continued  punctual- 
ly. My  friend  insists  on  this  and  makes  it  a  condition  of  his 
not  handing  over  the  evidence  in  his  hands  at  once  to  the 
strikers. 

"He  also  insists  that  the  notes  be  in  various  denomina- 
tions, none  larger  than  one  thousand  dollars,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  payments  I  am  to  receive  from  him,  and  hand  over 
to  you  the  stenographic  notes  which,  together  with  my  own 
personal  pledge  that  there  have  been  no  copies  taken,  will 
be  sufficient  to  end  the  matter.  If  you  persist  in  regarding 
me  as  an  accomplice  you  won't,  perhaps,  think  much  of  the 
value  of  that  assurance ;  but  it  is  the  best  I  can  do,  and  as  I 
propose  to  remain  right  here  as  long  as  Mr.  Craggie  can 
find  use  for  my  services  I  think  I  can  guarantee  that  good 
faith  will  be  kept.  Mr.  Craggie  can  look  back  over  our 
years  of  intimate  association  and  answer  as  to  whether  I 
have  been  trustworthy  or  not.  I  assure  you  on  my  word  of 
honor  as  a  gentleman  that  I  will  not  profit  by  this  transaction 
— not  one  penny." 

"The  president  here  said, — as  if  struck  with  an  idea, — 
"Can't  we  deal  with  you  and  leave  your  friend  out?  I'll 
make  it  a  million  and  a  half  if  you  will  surrender  your  friend 
to  us  together  with  his  notes.  I'll  not  draw  a  free  breath 
while  that  fellow  is  running  around  loose.  I  must  have 
been  delirious  the  other  day  when  I  talked  as  I  did.  You 
know  that  I  would  not  have  him  harmed ;  but  he  should  not 
be  permitted  to  imperil  the  safety  of  the  country  by  talk 
which  would  in  all  probability  end  in  a  revolution  preceded 
by  a  civil  war.      For  it  will  take  that,  and  nothing  less,  to 


i64  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

overthrow  me  or  prevent  my  defeating  these  miserable 
strikers." 

"Can't  be  done !"  said  Chambers  promptly  and  emphat- 
ically. "He  is  my  friend.  I  never  go  back  on  a  friend — 
ten  millions  would  not  tempt  me  to  do  it;  and  besides,  the 
other  party  controls  the  whole  situation  until  we  get  those 
notes.     After  that  is  all  finished  you  and  I  can  deal. 

"What !''  exclaimed  the  president,  "Is  there  to  be  no  end 
to  the  demands  ?  We  might  as  well  fight  it  out  now  as  any 
time  if  that  is  the  way  this  thing  is  to  go,  eh,  Mr.  Johnson  ?" 

"Just  what  I  told  you,"  was  the  reply — very  emphat- 
ically. 

"Oh,  I  was  merely  trying  to  be  perfectly  open  and  above 
board — I  am  not  hard  to  satisfy,"  said  Chambers.  "I 
merely  wish  to  hold  down  this  secretaryship  and  to  have  a 
slight  increase  in  salary — say  double  what  I  am  now  getting. 
I  am  perfectly  willing  to  leave  it  to  Mr.  Johnson's  decision  as 
to  whether  I  am  not  worth  at  least  that  much.  If  you  will 
look  at  this  letter  from  Martinvale — who,  by  the  way,  is 
aiding  the  strikers  both  financially  and  by  molding  public 
opinion  against  us,  simply  because  he  wishes  to  rule  in  your 
stead — -you  will  see  that  he  tells  me  to  set  my  own  price  and 
come  over  to  him." 

After  Mr.  Craggie  had  read  and  returned  the  letter 
Chambers  continued,  "That  should  convince  you  that  I  am 
not  the  man  to  blackmail  you ;  I  could  get  more  the  other 
way  in  a  short  time ;  Martinvale  is  a  very  liberal  man  to  his 
employes,  I  am  told." 

"What  did  you  reply  to  that  letter?" 

"I  thanked  him  for  his  kind  offer  and  told  him  that 
I  expected  to  remain  with  you  till  the  day  of  my  death, 
if  you  wished  me  to." 

"And  you  have  had  that  letter  five  years  and  never 
made  it  the  basis  of  a  demand  for  an  increase  of  salary?" 

"Certainly !  And  there  are  others ;  but  I  regret  having 
to  show  you  even  that  one.  You  don't  seem  at  all  grate- 
ful for  the  trouble  I  took  to  keep  my  friend  from  carrying 
his  notes  straight  to  the  labor  leaders ;  and  if  I  had  then 
known  of  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy  I  can  assure  you,  gentle- 
men, I  would  have  let  him  go  straight  to  headquarters  with 
his  information ;  for  I  liked  the  old  gentleman  very  much, 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  165 

and,  as  my  friend  said,  there  could  be  no  criminal  prosecu- 
tion if  he  took  that  course— and  that  you  know  to  be  true. 
It  is  no  crime  for  a  man  to  overhear  things  not  intended 
for  his  ears,  or  to  tell  it  afterwards ;  and  the  labor  leaders 
wiU  pay  liberally  and  no  questions  asked,  I  know. 

"But  I  hoped  to  head  off  the  result  of  yesterday's  con- 
spiracy, and  so  bought  his  silence;  and  when  I  arrived  at 
the  station  I  heard  that  the  deed  had  been  already  accom- 
plished. Then,  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  I  ordered 
the  train  to  start ;  and  so,  in  a  manner,  helped  to  save  your 
life.  Now,  pay  particular  attention  to  me:  I  am  not  at 
all  pleased  that  you  forget  that  I  am  trying  to  escape  giv- 
ing a  lot  of  damaging  corroborative  testimony  against  you, 
and  that  you  persist  in  looking  on  me  as  an  accessory  to 
blackmail.  It  is  true  that  my  friend— I  must  still  consider 
him  that,  as  I  am  under  great  obligations  to  him  for  past 
services— proposed  to  give  and  insisted  that  I  accept  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  acting  as  a  go-between  At 
once  I  thought  to  just  get  him  to  reduce  his  demand  that 
much ;  but  now  I  am  glad  I  hit  on  this  other  plan,  since  it 
enab  es  me  to  prove  to  you  that  I  will  not  benefit  one  cent's 
worth  in  the  matter.  I  intend  to  hand  over  that  amount 
at  once  by  refusing  to  receive  the  fifth  and  tenth  day's  pay- 
ments, which  he  said  were  to  be  mine." 

"What  do  you  think  of  that,  Mr.  Johnson?"  asked  Mr 
Craggie. 

"He  certainly  makes  out  a  good  case  for  himself;  and  if 
it  were  not  for  the  impression  with  which  you  yourself 
tilled  my  mind  in  stating  his  manner  to  you " 

"Of  course,"  interrupted  Chambers  hastily,  "vou  object 
to  my  manner  of  addressing  you,  Mr.  Craggie;  but  that  is 
due,  partly,  to  excitement.  Also,  a  man  who  holds  such  a 
secret  cannot  be  very  deferential  in  private.  I  will  assure 
you,  however,  that  my  manner  in  public  will  be  as  usual 
I  hope  that  you  will  see  that  I  have  acted  solely  for  your 
interest  in  this  matter.  If  you  do  not  wish  to  retain  me 
at  the  end  of  the  ninth  day,  why,  of  course,  I  will  resign. 
But,  if  you  buy  the  silence  of  my  friend,  for  ten  days  we 
will  be  together,-and  it  might  as  well  be  made  as' com- 
fortable for  all  of  us  as  possible. 

"At  present  there  seems  to  be  nothing  to  do  but  keep 


166  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

the  strikers  from  learning  that  any  attack  on  anyone  had 
ever  been  contemplated  by  any  of  the  company's  officials, 
at  least  that  is  the  way  it  looks  to  me;  and,  that,  I  have 
thus  far  succeeded  in  accomplishing.  That  my  friend  has 
it  in  his  power  to  place  both  of  you  in  an  unfortunate  posi- 
tion and  probably  give  the  strikers  the  victory,  I  presume 
you  realize.  As  I  have  already  benefited  you,  I  think  that 
you  will  have  to  admit  the  reasonableness  of  trusting  to  my 
good  faith." 

Mr.  Craggie  looked  at  the  lawyer — who  made  no 
motion — and  then  said,  "All  that  sounds  reasonable  enough, 
and  while  emphatically  denying  being  directly  or  indirectly 
concerned  in  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy  I  think  that  we  must 
agree  to  commence  payment,  for  I  see  no  other  way  out,  at 
present.  If  the  popular  mind  were  not  so  prejudiced  against 
us  I  would  defy  your  friend  as  Mr.  Johnson  advises, — and 
during  the  next  ten  days  I  may  find  it  expedient  to  do  so.  I 
warn  you  of  that ;  and  I  will  try  to  discover  him  and  punish 
him  so  long  as  breath  is  in  me.  And  if  we  are  to  continue 
together  you  will  certainly  have  to  alter  your  tone  in 
addressing  me,  Mr.  Chambers.  I'd  rather  pay  a  million 
dollars  than  have  a  man  around  me  acting  and  speak- 
ing as  you  today  have  done." 

"Certainly,  Sir,"  said  Chambers,  "the  excitement  is 
already  beginning  to  wear  off,  and  I  think  you  will  have 
nothing  further  to  complain  of.  I  have  a  little  informa- 
tion, Mr.  President:  (and  the  old  manner  was  perfectly 
resumed),  Robert  Endy,  Jr.,  was  committed  this  morning 
for  the  attempted  murder  of  his  father,  and  no  one  else  is 
even  suspected." 

And  it  was  this  piece  of  information,  which  he  had 
received  from  one  of  the  men  he  had  stopped  to  talk  to 
on  the  street,  that  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  change 
of  tone  of  Chambers. 

Mr.  Craggie  and  Mr.  Johnson  then  started  to  the  bank 
to  make  arrangements  about  the  money  and  as  soon  as 
they  were  on  their  way  the  president  said,  "Why  didn't 
you  tell  me  about  the  arrest  of  young  Endy — I've  been 
dreading  to  hear  that  I  was  suspected,  all  this  day." 

"Thought  you  knew  it;  and,  anyway,  after  your  saying 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  167 

— and   that   fellow   hearing   you    say   it — that   young   Endy 
would  do  for  a  scapegoat,  I  don't  see  that  it  helps  much." 

To  this  M r.  Craggie  did  not  reply ;  but  after  a  little 
while  he  said,  "Johnson,  I  am  yielding,  against  your  advice, 
and  I  am  not  altogether  convinced  about  this  business ;  but 
I  am  yielding  for  the  present  largely  because  of  that  fel- 
low's confidence  in  his  safetv.  Did  you  ever  see  anything 
like  it?" 

"No;  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  had  other  cards  up  his 
sleeve." 

"That's  just  it !  I  must  keep  him  where  I  can  watch 
him — for  I  simply  cannot  make  blackmailing  fit  with  his 
years  of  faithful  service,  or  with  those  offers  of  better  posi- 
tions." 

Just  before  they  arrived  at  the  bank  the  lawyer  asked 
suddenly :  "What  made  you  start  and  wince  so  violently 
when  he  asserted  that  he  never  went  back  on  a  friend, 
and  again  when  he  named  ten  million  as  not  sufficient  to 
make  him  deliver  his  friend  into  your  hands?" 

And  then  Mr.  Craggie  lied,  saying  hastily :  "That  was 
only  your  imagination  ;  you  must  be  getting  nervous  about 
this  business — those  remarks  meant  nothing  to  me.  Did 
they  to  you  ?" 

But  although  Mr.  Johnson  did  not  know  the  zvhy  he 
knew  that  Mr.  Craggie  was  lying;  and  he  dropped  the 
subject.  But  he  thought:  "If  you  lie  to  me  about  one 
thing  it  maybe  that  Chambers  is  right — maybe  you  know 
more  about  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy  than  you  have  told." 

And  that  was  the  reason  for  the  lawyer's  lukewarm- 
ness  throughout  the  strike. 

To  all  parties  this  strenuous  day  had  been  the  most  try- 
ing of  their  lives,  but  there  was  still  one  little  act  in  the 
drama ;  for  when  the  president  returned  to  his  car  he  found 
Chambers  calmly  reading  an  account  of  the  attack  on  Mr. 
Endy  which  appeared  to  interest  him  greatly,  and  when 
he  laid  it  down  Mr.  Craggie  eagerly  picked  up  the  paper 
and  turned  to  the  same  article  and  read  it ;  and  Mr.  Cham- 
bers smiled  with  his  eyes — though  not  a  muscle  of  his  face 
moved — when  he  noticed  that  in  reading  about  the  finding 
of  the  hair  the  president's  hand  involuntarily  went  to  the 


1 68  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

top  of  his  head,  and  that  after  a  moment  he  hastily  entered 
the  wash  room  and  was  absent  quite  a  while. 

Chambers  was  busily  writing  when  the  President 
re-entered  the  working  compartment  of  the  car,  and  said 
nothing;  but  he  noticed  that  Mr.  Craggie  had  turned  very 
pale;  and  after  a  few  moments  the  president  said,  "Your 
friend  can  depend  on  the  payments  being  made  promptly." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"I  cannot  tell  what  you  and  other  men 
Think  of  this  life ;  but,  for  myself 
I  had  as  lief  not  be,  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself." 

— Shakespeare. 

The  speed  with  which  that  crowd  of  ultra-strenuous 
strikers  vanished  from  sight  when  they  saw  Arndt  fall 
would  have  been  a  valuable  lesson  to  those  who  believe  in 
the  courage  of  the  violent  class  of  men.  A  moment  before 
they  had  been  cursing  Arndt  and  Craggie  and  shouting 
"Kill  the  traitor ;  kill  the  man  that  aided  Craggie  to  escape ; 
stand  up  for  your  rights !"  etc.,  but  only  half  a  dozen  of 
them  had  the  courage  to  face  the  result  of  their  action — 
and  even  they  started  to  run  when  they  saw  the  freight 
agent  and  the  telegraph  operator  raise  Arndt  and  carry  him 
within  the  building. 

But  these  last  ran  right  into  the  arms  of  Baker  who 
was  just  returning  from  performing  the  mission  on  which 
Arndt  had  sent  him.  Baker  had  thoughtfully  brought  with 
him  a  detachment  of  the  city  police,  and  they  caught  every 
one  of  the  rioters  after  a  short  and  sharp  tussle.  Among 
them  was  one  ragged  specimen  of  humanity  who,  when  he 
found  himself  actually  in  custody,  boldly  corroborated  the 
testimony  of  the  others  and  asserted  that  he  was  the  man 
who  had  the  honor  of  having  "downed  the  traitor,"  as  he 
persisted  in  calling  Arndt. 

In  the  meantime  the  station  agent  had  telephoned  for 
Kenedy.  He  promptly  responded  and  examined  Arndt,  who 
was  perfectly  conscious  when  the  doctor  arrived, — the  cold 
water  applications  of  the  agent  having  done  their  work. 
But  he  still  felt  too  weak  to  rise,  and  it  was  only  the  word 
of  Kenedy :  "Brace  up,  Arndt !  brace  up !  There  are  no 
bones  broken.  Don't  you  get  down  now  and  give  Nettie 
another  shock,"  that  sent  the  blood  bounding  through  his 

169 


170  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

veins  and  enabled  him  to  control  the  quivering  of  his 
relaxed  muscles. 

When  he  was  confronted  with  the  fellow  who  was  still 
loudly  bragging  of  his  exploit  Arndt  seemed  dazed,  for 
there  were  notes  in  the  man's  voice  that  made  him  think 
that  he  had  met  him  somewhere ;  but,  for  the  life  of  him,  for 
the  time  being,  he  could  not  place  the  man.  This  bothered 
Arndt  very  much,  and  all  the  way  to  the  police  station 
he  was  trying  to  recollect;  and  at  last  he  said,  "I  do  not 
believe  that  I  have  ever  seen  his  face  before :  I  never 
forget  either  a  face  or  a  voice." 

And  then  he  had  a  very  important  thought  which  caused 
him  to  say  to  the  lieutenant  in  charge  of  the  force,  "Officer, 
I  wish  you  would  be  particularly  careful  in  guarding  that 
man  with  the  sandy  hair  and  beard.  I  may  have  a  more 
serious  charge  to  bring  against  him  than  rioting." 

"He  will  not  get  away  from  me,"  was  the  reply  as  he 
handcuffed  the  man  to  two  of  the  officers.  "There  are 
several  of  his  class  up  here  from  Clyde  and  St.  Louis  and 
other  big  cities  just  now,  and  they  are  keeping  us  much 
too  busy  to  suit  me." 

He  soon  saw  the  fellow  behind  the  bars,  and  to  the 
questions  of  the  officer  in  charge  the  man  gave  the  highly 
original  information  that  his  maiden  name  was  John  Smith 
and  that  he  came  from  the  town  of  "Nowhere"  and  was 
going  to  return  there,  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and 
belief — and  that  all  he  regretted  was  that  he  had  not  suc- 
ceeded in  sending  Craggie  and  Arndt  there  ahead  of  him. 

The  strikers  who  had  been  arrested  with  him  were  left 
to  suffer  the  result  of  their  action,  and  the  refusal  of  the 
Union  to  interfere  in  this  and  other  cases  in  which  a  few 
turbulent  men  violated  the  law  had  an  excellent  effect ;  for 
as  Chandler  once  said  to  Arndt,  "We  cannot  make  much 
of  a  fight  against  the  rich  man's  breaking  the  laws  while 
we  are  doing  the  same  thing." 

As  soon  as  they  were  committed  for  trial  Arndt  took  the 
electric  car  that  passed  closest  to  the  river  road  and  was 
quickly  at  the  door  of  his  present  home.  He  was  afraid  that 
some  report  of  his  recent  danger  might  have  reached  them, 
and  indeed,  Kenedy  had  taken  the  precaution  to  pass  that 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  171 

way  and  tell  Annie.  Arndt  found  that  Nettie  was  still 
sleeping-  soundly. 

After  telling  his  sister  all  about  the  occurrences  of  the 
past  night  and  morning  she  looked  carefully  at  his  pale  face 
and  compelled  him  to  admit  that  he  was  feeling  very  badly ; 
but  he  still  insisted  that  he  must  go  to  the  mansion  to  find 
out  about  Mr.  Endy  and  see  whether  he  could  be  of  use 
there. 

"Well,  you  may  think  you  are  going  to  do  that — think- 
ing won't  hurt  you  a  bit;  but  I  know  that  you  are  going 
to  bed — and  that  right  now,"  said  Annie,  very  emphatically. 
And  then  she  added,  "Those  are  Dr.  Kenedy's  instructions, 
and  here  is  the  medicine  he  left  for  you." 

And  then  Arndt  obeyed  orders ;  and  when  he  awoke  after 
dark,  when  the  excitement  under  which  he  had  been  work- 
ing had  passed  away,  he  found  himself  unable  to  get  up. 
In  fact,  when  Arthur  arrived  on  the  noon  train  on  Sun- 
day he  learned  all  that  he  could  at  the  mansion  and  then 
came  to  see  Arndt,  and  found  him  still  in  bed.  To  Arthur, 
Arndt  related  the  minutest  detail  of  what  had  occurred, 
not  omitting  even  his  thoughts  in  connection  with  the 
events.  And  then  Arthur  said :  "Well,  when  I  saw  that 
hair  which  was  such  damning  evidence  in  the  mind  of 
Goodenough,  I  just  smiled  serenely.  Now,  I  am  going  to 
tell  you  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  the  inno- 
cence of  Robert  Endy.  He  is  as  guiltless  of  that  crime  as 
cither  you  or  I.  Fortunately  for  him  I  was  on  his  trail 
within  a  short  time  after  he  started, — although  he  doubled 
on  me,  and  I  thus  lost  track  of  him  for  a  while.  But  he  has 
told  me  all  about  his  doings  and  I  find  that  every  statement 
of  his  is  corroborated.  Still  there  are  reasons  why  he  must 
remain  in  jail  until  I  can  lay  my  hands  on  the  guilty  man. 
Among  those  reasons  are :  First,  the  controllable  magis- 
trates put  in  office  by  the  rich,  are  now  being  controlled  bv 
popular  clamor.  The  testimony  I  can  produce  will  not  now 
be  given  a  fair  hearing. 

"Secondly,  he  is  safer  in  jail,  at  present:  there  might 
even  be  some  rich  man  who  would  be  willing  to  discredit 
the  workingmen's  cause  by  having  him  killed  and  putting 
the   blame   on   the    strikers. 

"Thirdly,  as  long  as  Endy  is  in  jail  the  really  guilty  per- 


172  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

son  will  be  off  his  guard — and  this  is  an  advantage  I  cannot 
forego.  In  order  to  bring  him  through  with  his  name 
unsmirched  I  must  lay  my  hand  on  the  guilty  party;  and  I 
tell  you,  now,  that  I  haven't  the  slightest  clue,  today. 

"I  am  worse  off  than  I  ever  was  before  in  my  life.  I 
thought  it  might  be  the  man  who  attacked  you  (when  I 
heard  about  that),  but  since  he  was  coming  after  you  at 
the  same  moment  you  heard  the  cry,  that  lets  him  out. 
There  must  have  been  another  man.  I  thought  of  Craggie's 
secretary  (though  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  say  it — he  is  a 
real  nice  fellow),  simply  because  Craggie  has  a  motive  for 
wishing  Mr.  Endy  put  out  of  the  way,  if  only  he  could 
throw  the  blame  on  some  one  else.  For  I  have  found  out 
that  Johnson  did  not  tell  him  about  the  change  in  the  will 
by  which  the  strikers  are  to  benefit  in  case  of  Mr.  Endy's 
death.  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Johnson  as  soon  as  Robert  was 
committed ;  he  had  just  heard  of  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy 
and  talked  pretty  freely : — something  must  have  got  him 
down  on  Craggie. 

"And  so  far  as  the  secretary  is  concerned  I  find  that 
he  was  talking  to  some  one  in  his  room  in  the  hotel  almost 
all  night,  and  certainly  at  the  time  of  the  attack ;  for  both 
his  voice  and  that  of  the  other  party  were  heard  at  that 
hour — and  that  lets  him  out.  And  besides,  apart  from  doing 
Craggie's  work  Chambers  lacks  a  motive — and  he  would 
scarcely  be  likely  to  put  his  head  in  a  noose  for  the  presi- 
dent's dollars.  I  have  known  for  some  time  that  Chambers 
is,  financially,  well  fixed. 

"And,  as  to  Craggie ;  why,  I  don't  think  that  he  has  the 
courage  to  do  it,  though  otherwise  I  would  not  put  it  beyond 
him.  I  tell  you,  a  man  that  will  deliberately  ruin  his  best 
friend  because  he  has  the  opportunity  to  add  ten  millions 
to  his  pile,  and  then  never  shows  the  least  sign  of  remorse 
or  does  one  thing  to  right  the  wrong  when  his  friend  takes 
his  poverty  to  heart  and  blows  out  his  brains,  is  simply 
a  murderer  at  heart  and  is  only  restrained  by  fear  of  the 
law  from  killing  all  those  who  stand  in  his  way.  And  that's 
Craggie — though  few  people  know  it.  Rut,  in  this  instance 
he  could  not  have  struck  a  worse  blow  to  his  cause  than 
this  one, — and  he  has  not  usually  acted  like  a  fool.     Still, 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  173 

I  will  continue  to  watch  him — and  I  am  going  to  pump 
him  dry  if  I  can  secure  an  interview  with  him." 

But  Arthur  said  not  one  word  to  Arndt  about  the  Prin- 
cess, even  though  she  had  totally  surprised  him  by  promis- 
ing at  once  that  she  would  willingly  and  without  pay  testify 
to  the  truth,  if  her  testimony  were  needed. 

Arndt  then  insisted  that  he  was  able  to  go  with  Arthur 
to  the  police  station  in  order  to  try  to  identify  his  assailant 
at  the  depot  as  the  man  that  had  attacked  him  by  night.  On 
the  way  there  he  remarked,  "The  newspapers  today  must  be 
very  unpleasant  reading  to  President  Craggie." 

"Psha !"  said  Arthur,  "they  disgust  me.  After  being 
bought  for  years  with  his  money  or  by  fear  of  him,  to  turn 
as  they  have  done,  in  a  day,  is  enough  to  make  one  lose  faith 
in  human  nature." 

"You  must  expect  just  that  result,"  said  Arndt.  "If  you 
take  a  man's  manhood  away — no  matter  by  what  means — 
you  haven't  a  thing  left  to  rely  on." 

"Right  you  are !"  cried  Arthur,  "that's  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  the  whole  infernal  system.  It  isn't  empty  stomachs 
and  bare  backs  that  is  the  chief  grievance :  it  is  simply 
degraded  manhood  and  lost  freedom."  Then  they  were 
both  lost  in  thought  until  they  reached  the  station ;  and, 
when  they  saw  the  man,  although  Arndt  felt  sure,  after 
hearing  his  voice  again,  that  it  was  the  same  person,  still 
he  would  not  make  a  charge  on  so  slight  a  ground,  and 
he  was  preparing  to  come  away  when  the  fellow  himself 
helped  him  out  by  exclaiming — as  Arndt  rested  his  aching 
head  on  his  hand — "Ha,  ha !  Head's  pretty  sore,  ain't  it  ? 
I  sure  would  have  finished  you  if  you  hadn't  dodged." 

But  when  he  saw  that  Arthur  (who  until  this  moment 
had  been  listening  a  little  further  down  the  corridor)  had 
heard,  he  would  not  be  induced  to  say  another  word.  Then 
Arndt  lodged  information  against  him,  and  the  newspapers 
had  another  day  of  big  head  lines  and  sensational  editorials. 

As  he  parted  from  the  detective  Arndt  promised  to  run 
down  to  Clyde  on  the  next  day  and  convey  Arthur's  assur- 
ance to  Robert  Endy  that  all  would  be  well  in  the  end,  since 
the  testimony  necessary  to  corroborate  the  detective's  knowl- 
edge of  his  being  in  Clyde  on  the  night  of  the  crime  had 
been  secured. 


174  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

So  Robert  heard  the  words  that  assured  him  of  ultimate 
freedom  from  the  lips  of  the  man  whom  he  had  vowed 
to  pursue  with  his  vengeance  through  this  life,  and  after- 
wards if  possible. 

Arndt  had  undertaken  this  mission  very  unwillingly, 
and  had  only  consented  when  Arthur  assured  him  that  he 
himself  positively  could  not  spare  the  time  from  the  case 
either  to  write  or  go  personally  to  report.  And  the  cool 
reception  Robert  gave  him  made  him  regret  very  much 
that  he  had  yielded.  But  Robert  had  been  studying  his 
own  and  other  men's  lives  by  the  light  of  the  letter  his 
father  had  written — which  he  had  read  and  re-read  since  his 
incarceration, — and  his  brusque  manner  to  Arndt  was  in 
reality  only  a  mask  to  hide  his  softened  feelings.  So,  when 
Arndt  turned  to  leave  the  cell,  after  asking  him  if  there 
was  anything  he  could  do  for  him,  Robert  spoke  up 
promptly:  "My  father  insists  that  I  have  grossly  mis- 
judged you  and  your  motives  and  that  you  are  a  truthful 
and  disinterested  man;  I  want  you  to  answer  me  one  ques- 
tion— Have  you  ever  doubted  my  innocence  of  the  charge 
brought  against   me?" 

Arndt  looked  him  steadily  in  the  eye  and  replied :  "Never 
for  an  instant.  I  protested  and  protested  against  Good- 
enough's  interpretation  of  the  evidence  and  against  his 
swearing  out  a  warrant  for  you.  Although  I  have  not  the 
slightest  idea  who  is  the  guilty  man,  I  knew  that  it  was 
never  your  hand  that  struck  that  blow." 

And  then  for  the  first  time  Robert  broke  down,  and 
had  to  turn  away  to  hide  his  feelings.  Of  the  remainder 
of  that  interview  there  is  not  a  word  to  record.  At  the 
sight  of  the  distress  of  his  boyhood's  friend  all  the  hard 
feeling  died  out  of  the  heart  of  Arndt  and  he  even  forgot 
Nettie's  vow — for  the  time.  They  remained  together  talk- 
ing earnestly  for  several  hours,  and  when  Arndt  left  the 
prison  he  knew  all  that  Arthur  had  not  felt  free  to  com- 
municate. 

And  the  old  turnkey  smiled  as  he  overheard  Robert  call 
after  Arndt,  "Good-bye,  old  fellow,  bring  me  news  of  father 
and  Nettie  as  often  as  you  can,"  and  Arndt's  whole-souled 
reply,  "Good-bye,  old  man,  I  will  be  sure  to  do  so.  Keep 
a  hopeful  heart  in  you.     Better  days  are  almost  in  sight." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  175 

Now  this  was  the  same  Monday  morning-  on  which  the 
first  installment  of  the  million  was  to  be  paid  to  Chambers 
for  his  friend.  If  the  secretary  felt  any  doubt  as  to  its 
being  promptly  on  hand  he  certainly  showed  none.  Mr. 
Craggie  was  very  nervous  and  could  scarcely  attend  to  busi- 
ness until  the  express  package  from  the  bank  arrived  and 
had  been  handed  to  Chambers.  Then  he  brightened  up  and 
readily  granted  the  respectfully  asked  permission  of  the 
secretary  for  time  to  count  the  money  and  examine  the 
bills  to  see  that  none  of  them  had  been  marked — that  being 
contrary  to  stipulations.  Chambers  then  retired  to  his  apart- 
ment in  the  car  and  was  absent  about  half  an  hour,  and 
when  he  came  out  he  brought  with  him  the  package  done 
up  precisely  as  before  and  placed  it  on  the  table  in  front 
of  him  where  both  he  and  the  president  could  see  it  con- 
stantly. Mr.  Craggie  objected  emphatically  to  this  arrange- 
ment and  stated  plainly  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  reminded 
every  moment  of  the  day  that  he  was  the  victim  of  a  black- 
mailer. 

Chambers  said  in  his  usual  quiet  tone  that  he  regretted 
the  necessity,  but  that,  since  he  was  responsible  for  the 
money  until  he  delivered  it  to  his  friend,  he  could  not  put 
his  mind  on  the  usual  work  of  his  secretaryship  unless  the 
package  were  where  he  could  see  it ;  and  he  then  suggested 
that  in  the  future  they  should  have  it  sent  to  them  at  Steelton 
by  the  late  afternoon  express  so  as  to  leave  him  free  to 
attend  properly  to  his  work. 

And  Mr.  Craggie  was  only  too  glad  to  agree  to  this. 
Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  every  afternoon  except  the  fifth 
and  tenth  the  payments  were  promptly  made  to  Chambers ; 
and  in  the  mail  received  at  that  same  hour  he  always  found 
a  letter  for  him  without  marks  on  the  outside.  This  he 
would  then  proceed  to  read  and  destroy  in  the  president's 
sight  and  would  then  immediately  name  a  station — some- 
times up  and  sometimes  down  the  road.  Even  then,  the 
president  and  his  detectives  never  knew  where  the  money 
was  to  be  delivered,  since  they  sometimes  stopped  short  of 
the  station  and  twice  went  far  beyond  it. 

Their  starting  from  Steelton  as  a  base  suited  Mr. 
Craggie  perfectly,  as  he  was  obliged  to  be  on  the  spot  to 
attend  to  the  strike.     Giambers  and  the  train  crew  lost  a 


176  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

lot  of  sleep — as  the  stopping  place  often  was  not  reached 
until  the  night  was  far  gone; — but  as  the  car  stood  almost 
all  day  on  the  side  track  at  Steelton,  and  as  Chambers 
thought  that  some  of  the  corruption  fund  could  be  profitably 
used  on  the  crew,  there  was  no  grumbling  heard. 

Mr.  Craggie  had  immediately  set  his  detectives  to  work 
on  the  case ;  but,  since  he  would  not  tell  them  all  he  knew, 
although  they  carried  out  their  instructions  to  the  letter 
and  watched  every  motion  of  Chambers — whenever  he  could 
be  kept  in  sight, — and  although  they  shadowed  every  man, 
woman  and  child  to  whom  the  secretary  addressed  a  single 
word,  and  even  went  to  the  extent  of  opening  some  of  the 
letters  he  wrote,  they  found  out  only  continual  evidences 
of  the  innumerable  acts  of  benevolence  that  Chambers  was 
performing — and  they  one  and  all  ended  in  concluding  that 
Chambers  was  the  best  man  they  had  ever  met,  and  that 
Craggie  had  certainly  gone  crazy  to  put  them  to  watching 
him. 

Mr.  Craggie  daily  reminded  Chambers  that  he  would 
stop  the  payments  the  instant  he  could  catch  the  black- 
mailer ;  but  as  he  did  not  even  find  a  clew,  and  as  Mr. 
Endy  continued  in  a  very  precarious  condition  for  many 
weeks,  day  after  day  found  one  more  payment  made  and 
Mr.  Craggie  less  and  less  likely  to  take  the  only  method 
of  protecting  himself;  namely,  by  defying  Chambers  to 
do  his  worst.  This  he  dared  not  even  think  of  doing — 
and  Chambers  knew  it. 

In  fact,  he  practically  gave  up  all  attempts  to  catch 
Chambers'  accomplice  after  the  fourth  day ;  for  on  the 
morning  of  the  fifth  the  secretary  said,  "Now,  Mr.  Craggie, 
you  were  complaining  yesterday  that  the  circumstance  of 
your  drawing  such  large  sums  of  ready  cash  from  the  bank 
was  being  bruited  abroad  and  that  it  was  hurting  our  cause. 
I  will  explain  that:  My  friend  is  very  much  displeased 
at  the  unnecessary  trouble  you  are  giving  him — and  he  has 
probably  taken  this  method  of  warning  you  to  stick  to  your 
bargain.  The  truth  is,  your  man  came  very  near  to  run- 
ning on  my  friend  the  other  night,  and  he  was  very  angry 
and  said  that  if  the  violation  of  the  spirit  of  the  agree- 
ment was  not  stopped  he  would  take  some  means  of  show- 
ing you  that  he  could  damage  you  even  if  he  was  bound 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  177 

not  to  carry  the  notes  to  the  strikers.  For,  you  see,  I  did  not 
tell  him  of  your  threat  to  try  to  catch  him,  as  he  had  made  it 
a  sine  qua  non  that  all  efforts  to  trace  him  be  discontinued 
until  the  last  payment  was  made.  And  I  knew  that  he 
would  immediately  throw  you  overboard  if  I  reported  your 
determination.  Anyway,  I  will  ask  it  as  a  personal  favor 
that  my  old  friend,  the  conductor,  be  restored  to  his  place, 
and  the  detective  conductor  you  put  on  yesterday  be  sent 
about  his  business.  I  am  not  a  blackmailer.  I  am  simply 
doing  a  certain  work  in  the  only  way  it  can  be  done." 

So,  the  detectives  were  called  off,  the  payments  were 
promptly  made,  and  on  the  tenth  morning  Mr.  Craggie 
was  handed  the  stenographic  notes.  These  included  the 
Johnson  interview  and  several  other  important  conversa- 
tions which  had  occurred  during  the  trip  at  moments  when 
the  president  had  unburdened  himself  to  Chambers. 

Referring  to  these,  Chambers  said,  "Those  are  the  ones 
I  tested  him  on;  and  of  course,  these  notes  are  not  at  all 
like  his  ordinary  style,  for  they  were  written  in  a  very 
cramped  position." 

"How  am  I  to  know  that  they  are  what  you  say  they 
are,"  asked  Mr.  Craggie  petulantly;  "I  cannot  read  a  word 
of  this  style  of  stenography." 

"I  had  not  thought  of  that,  but  I  am  perfectly  familiar 
with  light-line  stenography,  although  I  do  not  write  it. 
You  take  the  paper  and  I'll  see  what  I  can  make  out  of 
the  notes,"  said  Chambers.  And  then  he  read  them  off  so 
fluently  and  they  agreed  so  perfectly  with  the  long-hand 
copy  before  the  president  that  he  was  thoroughly  satisfied 
and  immediately  proceeded  to  burn  both  the  notes  and  the 
translation.  And  when  there  was  nothing  but  a  pile  of  ashes 
left  he  said  with  a  great  sigh,  "That's  over !  Now,  I  am 
going  to  get  even  with  Johnson  for  not  standing  by  me 
in  this  matter." 

"In  regard  to  the  rest  of  my  friend's  stenographic  notes 
— which  you  don't  seem  to  have  thought  about — "  said 
Chambers,  "especially  the  remainder  of  the  one  with  Mr. 
Johnson,  I  can  assure  you  that  they  are  today  but  a  memory. 
My  friend,  as  well  as  I,  saw  that  these  were  all  he  needed." 

"So  I  should  think !"  said  Mr.  Craggie. 

Not  once  during  these  days  had  there  been  a  recurrence 


,;R  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

of  the  impertinent  words  of  Chambers.  He  was  a  con- 
stant wonder  and  study  to  Mr.  Craggie.  His  old  manner 
of  deferential  consideration  and  Unobtrusive  suggestion  of 
valuable  points  never  failed ;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
daily  evidence  of  the  payments,  the  president  would  at  times 
have  been  in  doubt  as  to  whether  he  had  not  in  reality 
dreamed  that  day's  interview  with  his  secretary.  At  first 
he  had  attempted  to  administer  the  "Secret  service  fund" 
himself,  but  he  found  it  too  entirely  foreign  to  his  exclusive 
habits  to  come  into  direct  contact  with  the  man  or  men 
he  wished  to  purchase  or  control ;  and  as  Chambers  was 
right  at  hand  and  doing  his  other  work  faithfully  he  soon 
entrusted  the  matter  to  him  again. 

So  he  was  quite  prepared  to  answer  the  question :  "Have 
you  a  man  ready  to  take  my  place  ?"  which  Chambers  asked 
as  soon  as  the  last  midnight  trip  had  been  made  and  the  last 
installment  been  safely  delivered  to  the  unknown  "Friend." 

"No,  Sir,"  replied  the  president  slowly,  "I  have  not; 
and  I  think  that  I  will  make  no  change  so  long  as  this  strike 
lasts,  or,  perhaps,  so  long  as  your  conduct  and  work  are  as 
satisfactory  as  at  present." 

To  himself  he  said,  "I  think  it  will  be  best  to  keep  you 
right  where  I  can  watch  you,  Sir." 

Chambers  immediately  replied,  "Thank  you  Sir,"  and 
Mr.  Craggie  added,  "Your  salary  will,  of  course,  remain 
doubled.  If  you  desire  more,  say  so.  I  want  to  know  that 
the  fund  is  being  spent  as  I  direct." 

Chambers  smiled  as  he  replied,  "Every  penny  is  leaving 
my  hands.  Rut,  of  course,  in  thus  changing  methods  I  can 
not  be  answerable  that  results  shall  be  satisfactory.  If  you 
will  pardon  me  I  will  say  that  I  believe  fully  in  the  efficacy 
of  the  doctrine  of  fear.  All  the  promises  of  heaven  have 
not,  in  all  the  centuries,  produced  the  results  that  half  a 
dozen  thoroughly  earnest  sermons  on  a  red  hot  hell  can 
show — so  far  as  making  the  mass  pliable  to  the  will  of  the 
riding  class  is  concerned.  Of  course,  if  one  is  working  for 
a  moral  change  in  the  subject,  there  is  little  choice  between 
rewards  or  punishments ;  but  we  are  not  taking  any  concern 
for  that — and  fey  purchasing  instead  of  driving  we  simplv 
deplete  our  treasury.  Nevertheless,  I  will  carry  out  youi 
instructions  to  the  letter." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  179 

Mr.  Craggie  looked  at  Chambers  in  astonishment ;  but 
he  did  not  offer  to  change  his  methods,  and  simply  said, 
"We  start  for  Washington  at  daybreak — let  us  make  the 
trip  as  speedily  as  this  new  freak  of  Voss's  will  permit. 
I'll  give  him  a  lesson  at  the  next  election  of  officers  of  the 
road." 

Again  Chambers  smiled,  for  he  knew  that  President 
Voss  had  just  issued  an  order  as  president  of  the  consoli- 
dated railroads  of  the  United  States  forbidding  the  delay  of 
regular  trains  for  any  person  for  any  cause  except  upon 
request  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  who  should 
say  that  it  was  on  government  business.  So  Chambers  said, 
"That  is  an  instance  of  what  I  was  just  asserting.  You 
made  Yoss.  What  was  he  before  you  took  him  up  ?  Simply 
a  third-rate  lawyer  in  a  county  town.  Now,  he  thinks  you 
cannot  advance  him  any  further,  and  immediately  the  ele- 
ment of  fear  proves  to  be  the  stronger — for  he  is  now  afraid 
of  public  opinion  and  it  rules  him,  even  to  the  extent  of 
sending  you  a  letter  in  which  he  openly  avows  that  because 
public  sentiment  is  so  emphatically  in  favor  of  the  order, 
he  has  been  obliged  to  sign  it  and  will  not  dare  to  violate 
it." 

"Damn  the  public  and  their  sentiment!"  said  Mr.  Crag- 
gie,  "It  is  the  most  unreliable  thing  in  the  world,  and  no 
one  ever  knows  what  it  will  operate  on  next.  Did  you 
notice  the  account  of  that  woman  who  had  the  impudence 
to  say  to  a  rich  man  when  he  presented  his  pass  on  the 
road,  T,  even  as  poor  as  I  am,  have  helped  to  pay  your  way, 
Sir !  A  rich  man  should  not  take  favors  from  such  as  I 
am,' — and  don't  you  know  that  the  headlines  those  rascally 
papers  gave  to  the  affair  are  going  to  make  any  one  with 
any  fine  feeling  in  his  make-up  refuse  to  travel  on  passes 
hereafter?" 

Chambers  said,  "I  think  you  are  right  in  your  estimate 
of  the  importance  of  that  apparently  small  affair ;  for  the 
papers  reported  that  she  was  so  vigorously  applauded  in 
the  car  that  not  another  pass  was  shown,  and  the  thing  has 
spread  like  wildfire  over  the  land.  Now  there  are  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  people  in  this  country  whom  I  could  neither 
bribe  nor  drive  and  yet  who  thankfully  accepted  every  pass 
1  had  sent  to  them — and  then  found  themselves  unable  to 
account,  even  to  themselves,  why  they  continued  to  support 


180  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

a  system  which  is  clearly  working  in  the  interest  of  the  rich. 
How  am  I  to  reach  such  people  in  the  future?" 

But  Mr.  Craggie  gave  him  no  answer  and  retired  to 
sleep  soundly  for  the  first  time  since  the  night  of  the  attack 
on  Mr.  End}- ;  and  on  the  next  day  they  went  to  Wash- 
ington to  set  certain  already  prepared  wheels  in  motion.  For 
in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  the  strike  had  continued  to  go 
against  him;  and  the  funds  of  the  strikers  seemed  in  no 
danger  of  exhaustion;  and  so  Mr.  Craggie  decided  to  not 
wait  for  the  expiration  of  the  month's  time  he  had  named, 
before  asking  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  remem- 
ber certain  obligations  he  had  incurred  and  certain  promises 
he  had  made  before  he  received  the  nomination. 

From  the  very  commencement  of  the  strike  the  burden 
on  Trueman  and  the  strike  committee  and  the  various  sub- 
committees was  very  great,  and  it  was  made  harder  to  bear 
during  the  first  six  weeks  by  the  knowledge  that  if  they 
had  been  able  to  consult  with  Mr.  Endy  and  have  his  active 
co-operation,  as  promised,  many  of  their  difficulties  would 
never  have  shown  themselves.  During  all  these  anxious 
days  Arndt  spent  every  minute  that  he  could  spare  from  his 
duties  either  with  Robert  in  the  prison  or  by  the  bedside  of 
Mr.  Endy  or  in  doing  what  could  be  done  to  cheer  and 
comfort  Nettie  MacDonald.  It  was  a  happy  day  for  all 
when  at  last  Mr.  Endy  was  pronounced  out  of  danger ;  and 
then  King  told  Arndt  that  he  might  answer  questions  when 
they  were  asked — but  not  before.  So  that  even  then  it  was 
weeks  before  he  was  able  to  tell  his  friend  about  Robert 
and  of  the  need  of  the  strikers  for  financial  aid. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  drawn  on  the  fund  he  had  set 
aside  for  going  to  housekeeping  until  the  fund  was  ex- 
hausted ;  he  had  spent  every  dollar  he  received  for  his 
services  to  the  Union  in  relieving  cases  of  sickness  or  dis- 
tress that  came  to  his  notice ;  and  he  was  actually  poorer 
than  ever  before  in  his  life.  TTe  had  been  acting  as  secre- 
tary for  Mr.  Endy.  by  Robert's  instruction,  and  although 
Arndt  said  nothing  of  his  own  financial  condition.  Mr. 
Endy,  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  think  on  business  matters 
at  all,  requested  him  to  continue  in  that  capacity,  and  named 
a  liberal  amount  as  his  salary.  So  Arndt,  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  the  strikers,  had  pecuniary  cause  to  be  thankful  for 
his  friend's  recovery. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"It's  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  one  any  good." 

— Old  Saying. 

What  happened  when  Mr.  Craggie,  after  a  tedious  trip 
of  two  days,  arrived  in  Washington  and  had  his  historic 
interview  with  the  president — whom  he  thought  he  owned — - 
will  never  be  known.  The  interview  was  entirely  private 
and  lasted  from  shortly  after  midnight  till  three  A.  M.,  but 
all  the  world  knows  that  the  evening  papers  of  the  next 
day  all  over  the  country  had  significant  telegrams  from 
their  Washington  correspondents  which  hinted,  rather 
broadly,  at  strained  relations  between  Germany  and  Eng- 
land, and  the  United  States. 

Chambers  was  not  at  all  surprised  that  Mr.  Craggie 
was  in  an  exceptionally  good  humor  when  he  came  down 
to  the  car  the  next  morning  and  announced :  "Well,  Mr. 
Secretary,  I  think  that  we  deserve  a  little  holiday.  What 
do  you  say  to  a  trip  of  inspection  of  all  the  plants,  imme- 
diately. There  is  no  telling  how  soon  we  may  be  called 
upon  by  the  government  to  start  them  without  delay." 

Of  course  he  expected  no  reply.  It  was  only  his  most 
pleasant  way  of  ordering  Chambers  to  have  all  things  in 
readiness  to  start  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  and  be- 
fore night  they  were  well  on  their  way. 

For  a  week  after  this  Chambers  read  the  papers  very 
carefully,  but  could  find  no  indication  that  the  warning  he 
had  given  Chandler  had  been  acted  upon.  They  were  again 
at  Pittsburg  when  his  face  lighted  up  for  an  instant  as  he 
took  in  at  a  glance  the  startling  headlines  which  announced 
that  every  labor  organization  had  ordered  its  members  to 
remember  that  they  had  no  quarrel  with  their  brother  work- 
men across  the  ocean  or  anywhere  else ;  that  the  Monroe 
Doctrine  was  simply  a  piece  of  unpardonable  selfishness 
which  had  never  caused  us  anything  but  trouble,  and  which 
in  these  days  of  fast  travel  had  become  perfectly  ridiculous 


182  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

as  a  means  of  defense,  and  then  directed  them  to  refuse  to 
perform  military  service  unless  to  repel  foreign  invasion. 
And  when  he  read  the  telegraphic  dispatches  from  all  over 
the  world  showing  that  like  action  had  been  taken  by  the 
workers  everywhere  he  simply  handed  the  paper  to  the 
president  without  remark. 

It  was  while  Mr.  Craggie  was  reading  this  that  the 
telegram  from  the  president  announcing  that  all  difficulties 
with  each  and  every  foreign  power  had  been  satisfactorily 
adjusted,  arrived.  The  rage  of  Mr.  Craggie  was  somewhat 
terrific.  Forgetting  his  recent  experience  with  Chambers 
he  vented  his  anger  on  him ;  but  if  he  had  taken  time  to 
notice  the  expression  on  the  face  of  the  secretary  he  cer- 
tainly would  have  said  less.  Chambers  made  no  reply  until 
the  abuse  was  turned  on  old  Mr.  Endy  as  a  traitor  to  his 
country  for  advising  such  a  move,  and  as  a  traitor  to  his 
class  for  giving  aid  to  the  strikers ;  and  then  Chambers,  with 
a  face  whiter  even  than  its  habitual  deathly  whiteness,  said 
slowly,  clearly  and  calmly,  "I  request  you,  Sir,  to  remem- 
ber that  that  gentleman  is  still  suffering  as  the  result  of 
an  unknown   party's   murderous  blow." 

"Well,  to  the  devil  with  them  all !"  roared  the  presi- 
dent. "They  may  win  in  this  strike,  but  it  will  be  only  be- 
cause that  white-livered  traitor  now  in  the  White  House, 
went  back  on  his  pledges  and  refuses  to  use  the  army  and 
navy  against  them.  He  has  had  just  as  many  pretexts 
furnished  him  as  ever  were  needed  before,  but  he  has  be- 
come wonderfully  in  favor  of  the  working-  class  since  his 
election.  He  thinks  he  is  a  mighty  shrewd  politician.  He 
is  a  fool.  He  hopes  that  the  laboring  class  and  the  Socialists 
will  unite  and  make  him  their  nominee  and  re-elect  him ;  but 
he  will  find  that  I  will  hare  so  many  of  them  disfranchised 
by  that  time,  in  all  the  doubtful  states,  that  they  won't  cut 
any  figure." 

The  control  over  himself  exercised  by  the  secretary  was, 
he  thought,  amply  recompensed,  for  this  was  the  first  really 
confidential  talk  that  he  had  listened  to  since  the  demand 
for  the  million  had  been  made.     TTe  laughed  aloud. 

"What  are  you  laughing  at?"  demanded  Craggie  fiercely. 

"Just  laughing  to  think  how  the  political  economists  and 
newspapers  have  puzzled  their  brains  and  failed  to  find  the 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  183 

reason  for  the  startling  increase  of  the  uncast  and  purchas- 
able vote." 

"Ha,  ha!"  he  laughed  again. 

And  the  president  forgot  his  anger  and  joined  in. 

And  then  they  resumed  their  tour  of  inspection  and  let 
the  strike  drag  on  its  weary  way.  For  Mr.-Craggie's  sole 
hope  from  that  day  was  to  starve  the  strikers  back  to  work. 

And  it  is  shown  by  the  books  of  the  strike  committee 
that  it  was  at  this  very  time  that  contributions  in  sums  vary- 
ing from  one  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  began  to 
come  in  from  different  parts  of  the  country,  sent  through 
the  ordinary  mail  and  with  no  clue  to  the  sender.  Mr. 
Endy  also  secured  many  large  contributions  from  rich  men 
who  feared  or  disliked  Mr.  Craggie,  and  some  from  those 
who  gave  in  order  to  strike  at  the  system ;  and,  because  of 
this,  although  there  was  considerable  suffering,  it  was  not 
as  severe  as  in  many  previous  and  smaller  strikes. 

And  so  New  Year's  day  came  and  passed  with  the  strik- 
ers still  resolute,  Mr.  Craggie  still  on  his  tour  of  inspection 
and  more  determined  and  obstinate  than  ever,  the  supply 
of  iron  and  steel  almost  exhausted,  and  the  stock  of  the 
corporation  down  to  sixty — fallen  from  two  hundred  and 
ten.  Above  all,  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Iron  and  Steel 
Company  were  becoming  somewhat  restless ;  for  many  of 
them  depended  on  the  dividends  of  the  company  for  their 
income — and  they  now  began  to  realize  that  there  would 
be  no  dividends  for  three  months  more,  even  if  the  works 
should  start  at  once.  But  they  thought  they  were  help- 
less since  Mr.  Craggie  and  his  retainers  held  a  majority  of 
the  stock. 

It  was  at  this  time,  when  Nettie  seemed  fully  recovered 
and  Mr.  Endy  was  able  to  see  company,  that  invitations  for 
a  meeting  to  take  place  in  his  library  were  sent  out  to  cer- 
tain gentlemen.  He  had  not  been  convinced  by  any  or  all 
of  Annie  Arndt's  Socialist  arguments,  but  clung  tenaciously 
to  his  long-cherished  plan.  He  delighted  in  the  young  girl's 
society  and  conversation,  for  she  was  as  wise  and  witty 
as  she  was  beautiful,  and  she  listened  with  untiring  patience 
to  his  unfolding  of  his  plan  and  his  reasons  for  thinking 
that  it  would  do  the  work  he  intended.  And  she  had  fallen 
into  the  habit  of  taking  her  daily  outing  by  walking  over 


184  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

to  the  mansion  and  talking  to  him.  She  was  wise.  She 
made  no  attempt  to  argue  with  her  brother ;  and  when 
Kenedy,  whom  she  never  missed  a  chance  to  converse  with 
on  the  subject,  demanded  the  reason,  she  plainly  stated  that 
she  never  wasted  her  breath — that  Mr.  Craggie's  methods 
of  trying  to  defeat  the  workers  would  inevitably  convert  her 
brother  before  the  strike  was  over. 

These  invitations  were  to  be  mailed  on  the  fourteenth  of 
January ;  and  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  it  Arndt 
arrived  at  the  mansion  early  in  the  morning.  This  was 
the  second  day  after  Nettie  appeared  down  stairs ;  and  no 
sooner  did  Mr.  Endy  see  Arndt's  face  than  he  exclaimed, 
"What  is  the  matter,  Charles? — nothing  wrong  with  the 
strike  or  the  folks?" 

"No,  Sir !  the  matter  is  entirely  personal  and  I  want 
to  speak  to  you  about  it." 

"Before  you  say  another  word,  Charlie,  I  want  you  to 
look  at  the  envelope  on  the  desk." 

As  he  picked  it  up  Arndt  saw  that  the  handwriting  on 
it  was  Mr.  Endy's  own,  and  the  letter  said  simply.  "I  beg 
the  man  who  has  been  more  than  a  son  to  me  in  these  try- 
ing days  to  give  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  use  the 
enclosed  sum  in  fitting  up  a  proper  home  for  his  sweetheart 
— or  in  any  way  that  he  may  prefer.    Robert  Endy." 

And  the  check  was  for  ten  thousand  dollars. 

Arndt,  who'  was  a  very  proud  man,  drew  back  a  step 
and  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  said,  "I  do  not 
think,  Sir,  that  I  have  deserved  that  you  should  think  that 
I  am  serving  you  for  gain.     I  cannot — " 

But  Mr.  Endy  stopped  him  with  a  gesture  of  the  hand 
as  he  replied  kindly,  "Neither  do  I  think  that  I  have  deserved 
to  have  you  say  that  I  think  so.  Money,  to  any  sane  man, 
means  only  the  ability  to  purchase  a  certain  amount  of 
pleasure,  or,  if  you  prefer,  happiness.  With  each  man  this 
happiness  takes  a  different  form — mine  consists,  largely, 
in  seeing  other  people  happy.  I  have  a  son  who,  today,  is 
unable  to  be  happy — and  I  am  correspondingly  miserable. 
Money  docs  not  seem  able  to  help  him.  Yon  will  not  deny 
me  this  pleasure,  my  boy. 

"Now,  it  is  Robert's  wish,  as  much  as  mine,  that  yon 
should  accept  this  small  token  of  the  affection  we  both  feel 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  185 

for  you.  Put  it  in  your  pocket  and  do  not  even  say  thank 
you.  I  would  have  given  Nettie  a  like  amount,  but  she 
does  not  need  it.     She  is  quite  a  rich  woman  today." 

Upon  an  exclamation  of  surprise  from  Arndt  he  said, 
"Yes :  I  cannot  tell  how  it  has  escaped  my  mind  so  long ; 
but  I  never  once  thought  about  the  estate  left  by  Angus 
MacDonald  until  yesterday,  when  Kenedy  made  some 
remark  about  it.  Then  it  flashed  upon  me  that  I  had  Mac- 
Donald's-  will  in  the  safe,  and  we  got  it  out  and  Kenedy 
took  it  up  to  Clyde  and  proved  it. 

"The  lapse  of  time  will  do  no  harm — owing  to 
the  nature  of  the  will.  It  was  made  immediately 
after  Kenedy  told  him  of  his  actual  condition.  Like 
the  canny  Scotchman  that  he  was,  Mac  had  put  off 
parting  with  a  dollar  of  his  hard  earnings  and  accumulated 
interest  until  the  last  moment ;  and  even  I  who  had  made 
many  of  his  investments  for  him,  was  completely  surprised 
to  find  what  his  estate  totals.  He  wasn't  very  hard  in  his 
judgment  of  us  millionaires,  if  you  remember, — had  a  sort 
of  fellow-feeling  for  us,  you  know.  He  had  a  little  nest  egg 
when  he  first  came  to  this  country,  and  I  always  paid  him 
good  wages  which  more  than  sufficed  for  their  simple  way 
of  living. 

"He  leaves  the  tract  of  woodland  on  the  edge  of  Steel- 
ton  to  the  city  for  a  public  park  and  pleasure  ground,  and 
as  he  says  in  the  will,  nothing  to  you  personally, — since  you 
are  to  get  it  and  everything  that  he  loves,  after  all.  The 
entire  estate  with  that  exception  goes  to  Nettie,  encumbered 
only  with  the  remark  that  she  knows  all  the  charities  which 
he  would  like  to  aid  and  that  he  leaves  to  her  the  pleasure 
of  the  distribution  of  as  much  as  she  wishes  to  give.  He 
goes  on  to  state  the  absolute  truth  that  heredity  had  been 
too  much  for  him.  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  part  with 
the  money  in  his  lifetime.  The  will  is  in  his  handwriting 
and  is  characteristic  of  the  man ; — honest,  even  to  giving 
to  the  world  to  see  plainly  the  one  defect  in  his  character." 

Nothing  whatever  was  said  by  Arndt  about  the  check 
which  he  still  held  in  his  hand ;  but  to  those  who  know  the 
man  it  will  be  no  surprise  that  the  paper  published  in  Steel- 
ton  the  next  day  contained  a  statement  that  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Public  Hospital  gratefully  acknowledged 


1 86  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

the  receipt  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  which  they  would  use, 
first,  in  paying  off  the  present  debt,  and  second,  in  extend- 
ing their  building,  according  to  the  expressed  wishes  of  the 
giver — whose  name  they  were  not  at  liberty  to  mention. 

In  regard  to  the  will  Arndt  said,  "I  am  glad  that  he 
finally  gave  the  land  for  the  park  himself.  We  talked  it 
over,  often.  It  was  the  only  property  that  I  knew  he  pos- 
sessed except  the  small  home  place  on  the  river  road.  Of 
course,  Nettie  would  have  done  it  in  his  name ;  but  I  am 
glad  he  did  it  himself.  As  for  my  getting  Nettie,  I  am 
not  so  sure  about  that — as  you  know.  She  has  never  said 
a  word  about  what  occurred  on  the  night  of  her  father's 
death ;  but  she  may  some  day  remember  it  all.  And,  indeed, 
I  would  long  ago  have  mentioned  it  to  her  so  as  to  know 
just  where  we  stand,  had  not  Kenedy  expressly  warned  me 
against  doing  so.    And  now  I  am  thankful  that  I  did  not." 

Mr.  Endy  looked  inquiringly  at  him,  but  Arndt  gave 
him  not  a  word  of  explanation  and  simply  folded  the  check 
and  placed  it  in  his  pocket.  Then  he  took  the  hand  which 
was  extended  to  him  as  his  friend  said,  "Thank  you,  my 
boy,  thank  you;"  and  after  a  moment  Arndt  said,  "But 
that  was  not  at  all  what  I  wanted  to  talk  about.  I  am  in 
trouble  as  to  what  is  best  to  do  with  Nettie  and  Annie. 
Nettie  is  now  well  enough  to  come  down  stairs.  The  nurse 
has  to  return  to  the  hospital  tomorrow  to  take  charge  of 
another  case,  and  it  will  not  do  for  the  two  women  to  be 
alone  in  that  house ;  and  you  know  that  I — " 

Mr.  Endy  laughed  heartily  at  him  and  said,  "You  might 
have  trusted  the  ladies  to  avoid  any  unpleasantness,  my  boy. 
As  soon  as  I  heard  from  your  sister  that  Nettie  would  soon 
be  able  to  be  about  I  made  arrangements  to  carry  out  a  cher- 
ished plan  of  mine.  Your  sister  has  ably  seconded  me  in 
the  matter,  and  I  hope  that  you  will  not  oppose  me.  Here 
is  a  letter  from  Robert  which  I  think  explains  it  all  and 
says  some  things  about  you  that  I  wish  you  to  see." 

So  Arndt  read : 

In  prison,  Clyde, 
"My  Dear  Father:  January  13,  19 — 

"The  letters  you  have  sent  me  since  your  partial  recovery 
have  almost  reconciled  me  to  the  enforced  idleness  which 
would  otherwise  have  eaten  out  my  life.     I  hope  that  the  day 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  187 

of  release  will  soon  come.  In  fact,  I  am  seriously  consider- 
ing- having  my  attorneys  have  the  case  tried  at  the  next  sit- 
ting of  the  court ;  for  though  Arthur  assured  me  some  time 
ago  that  he  had  evidence  enough  to  clear  me  and  would 
thereafter  spend  all  his  energies  on  finding  the  real  criminal, 
so  as  to  make  a  trial  of  my  case  unnecessary,  he  seems  to 
be  no  nearer  attaining  that  than  he  was  on  the  first  day ;  and 
certainly  the  public  clamor  has  now  quieted  to  the  point 
where  my  witnesses  would  be  given  an  impartial  hearing. 

"But  I  will  candidly  confess  that  I  dread  the  whole  busi- 
ness ;  and  while  in  this  place  I  have  spent  my  time  in  study- 
ing the  methods  of  our  courts  and  juries  and  have  about 
concluded  that  an  absolutely  fair  and  unbiased  verdict  is 
rarely  rendered.  Oh  for  some  method  or  system  by  which 
we  would  cease  the  cutthroat  competitive  system  which 
makes  us  criminals ! 

"My  views  of  life  are  changed.  Arndt  has  faithfully  told 
me  all  your  plans;  I  thoroughly  believe  in  the  views  you 
hold,  and  I  feel  sure  that  hereafter  you  and  I  can  work  hand 
in  hand  for  the  good  of  all. 

"In  regard  to  your  last  I  have  only  to  say  that  I  approve 
of  every  detail  of  your  proposition  except  as  to  the  amount 
you  propose  to  give  Arndt.  I  would  double  that  or  quad- 
ruple it.  You,  certainly,  cannot  realize  what  his  visits  to 
this  prison  have  meant  to  me,  when  you  mention  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  In  the  first  days  of  my  confinement  his  was 
the  voice  that  brought  me  the  assurance  of  ultimate  free- 
dom,— although  I  had,  but  a  moment  before,  refused  his 
outstretched  hand — and  his  words  of  cheer  came  to  me  when 
I  stood  with  my  back  toward  him. 

"These  visits  of  every  other  day  during  these  soul-crush- 
ing weeks  have  a  value  for  which  our  united  fortunes  would 
be  too  small  to  pay.     So,  please  change  the  amount. 

"The  rest  of  your  plan  is  perfect — and  may  I  soon  be 
released  to  enjoy  its  consumation  with  you ! 

"Nettie  has  always  seemed  like  a  daughter  to  vou,  I 
know,  and  I  am  rejoiced  that  she  has  agreed  to  your  plan 
and  will  soon  be  living  with  you.  Of  course,  Arndt's  sister 
will  be  with  her.  I  do  not  remember  her  at  all ;  for  their 
home  was  broken  up  when  his  father  failed,  and  after  that 
she  lived — so  Arndt  informs  me — with  her  grandmother  in 


1 88  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

St.  Louis.  But  I  suppose  you  already  know  more  about  hef 
than  I  do — judging-  by  your  letters.  Being  Arndt's  sister, 
she  is  sure  to  be  all  right;  and  since  Miss  Nettie  will  need 
a  companion  in  that  big  house  you  must  persuade  Miss 
Annie  to  give  up  the  nursing  of  the  public  for  as  long  as  you 
possibly  can. 

"As  for  Arndt  continuing  as  your  private  secretary,  that, 
I  am  sure,  would  be  very  pleasant  for  you  and  agreeable  to  all 
of  us ;  but  I  am  almost  certain  that  when  once  those  works 
start  again  he,  as  well  as  I,  would  not  be  content  anywhere 
except  within  hearing  of  the  roar  of  the  furnaces  and  the 
crashing  of  the  forges  and  hammers.  You  know,  the  rush 
of  active  life  gets  into  the  blood ;  and  at  nights  I  dream  only 
of  standing  where  the  hammers  are  ringing  and  the  locomo- 
tive is  going  together  piece  by  piece. 

"An  idle  life  to  him  who  wants  it!  I  have  had  vaca- 
tion enough  for  many  a  year. 

"Take  care  of  yourself  for  my  sake.  It  will  require 
many  years  of  happiness  on  your  part  to  make  up  for  the 
time  I  neglected  you  and  did  not  know  the  value  of  a  father's 
love.  My  constant  prayer  to  the  Eternal  powers  is  that  I  may 
be  able  to  avoid  giving  you  cause  for  suffering  or  unhap- 
piness  in  the  future. 

"Be  sure  to  persuade  Arndt  to  live  in  the  mansion  with 
you.  I  will  hold  him  responsible  for  the  welfare  of  all  of 
you.  Lovinglv  your  son, 

ROBERT." 

As  he  folded  the  letter  and  handed  it  back  to  the  father 
the  latter  took  his  hands  from  before  his  eyes  and  said :  "It 
is  a  good  letter.  There  was  never  a  truer  saying  than  'It's 
an  ill  wind  that  blowrs  no  one  any  good.'  I  have  been  a  lonely 
old  man ;  but,  from  this  day,  I  shall  be  lonely  no  more." 

And  he  was  right.  For,  Kenedy  decided  that  they  had 
better  take  advantage  of  the  mildness  of  the  air  and  the 
bright  sunshine;  and  so  Nettie  and  Annie  arrived  in  the 
closed  carriage  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon — and  the 
mansion  seemed  to  be  made  bright  and  home-like  by  their 
very  presence. 

And  after  that,  what  joy  and  happiness  the  days  and  even- 
ings held  !     No  matter  how  vexatious  and  arduous  the  duties 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  189 

of  the  day,  there  was  always  the  memory  of  the  preceding 
evening  and  the  anticipation  of  the  one  to  come.  And  those 
evenings  in  the  long  disused  drawing  room !  Surely,  as  Rol- 
lins said,  "Surely,  no  one  will  ever  forget  such  music  as 
the  ladies  make !"  And  he  was  even  heard  to  whistle — 
which  made  Mr.  Endy  laugh  heartily  as  he  jokingly  threat- 
ened to  discharge  him  on  a  repetition  of  the  offence. 

But  the  happiness  was  not  complete,  for  Robert  an- 
nounced that  he  had  decided  to  not  come  to  trial  at  once — 
provided  his  attorneys  could  secure  a  continuance  of  the  case. 
Of  course,  court  would  not  be  in  session  until  the  first  of 
March — and  in  the  meantime  Arthur  might  succeed  in  his 
search. 

Robert  confided  to  Arndt  that  upon  his  directing  Arthur 
to  have  his  witnesses  ready  he  was  astonished  at  being  in- 
formed that  they  had  disappeared,  and  that  the  detective  had 
in  reality  been  employing  almost  all  his  skill  and  time  for 
weeks  in  an  endeavor  to  trace  them.  It  was  evident  that 
some  one  had  been  using  both  money  and  influence  against 
Robert ;  and  from  this  moment  they  were  compelled  to  recog- 
nize the  fact  that  Robert's  position  was  really  dangerous — 
and  that  of  his  friends  became  painful. 

Other  detectives  were  put  to  work  looking  for  the  missing 
witnesses,  without  stating  what  they  were  wanted  for.  This 
was  done  through  Arthur,  and  he  devoted  himself  entirely  to 
seeking  for  the  would-be  assassin ;  and  money  and  effort  was 
not  spared. 

The  actual  state  of  the  matter  was,  by  the  orders  of  Dr. 
King,  carefully  kept  from  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Endy — 
and  he  accepted  their  statement  that  Arthur  was  on  the  trail 
of  the  criminal,  who  would  be  scared  into  taking  flight  if 
Robert  presented  the  evidence  of  his  innocence. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  the  twenty-third  day  of  February 
(the  day  for  the  meeting  called  by  Mr.  Endy)  found  the 
mansion  lively  enough.  The  presence  of  two  such  women 
in  any  house  would  be  certain  to  have  that  effect. 

The  invitations  had  been  sent  to  even-  rich  man  holding 
stock  in  the  corporation  who  was  known  to  be  in  any  degree 
favorable  to  the  cause  of  the  workers,  and  it  explained  that 
they  were  asked  to  come  to  Mr.  Endy's  residence  since  it  was 


iqo  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

important  that  he  should  be  present,  and  his  state  of  health 
would  not  permit  him  to  be  exposed  to  the  weather. 

As  many  as  were  within  reasonable  distance  responded 
personally,  and  there  were  some  who  said  by  letter  that  they 
would  stand  by  anything  that  might  be  decided  upon. 

Old  friends  of  Mr.  Endy  commenced  to  arrive  early  in 
the  day,  and  from  then  on  until  one  o'clock — the  hour  named 
for  the  meeting — each  train  brought  others  till  it  became 
doubtful  whether  even  the  large  library  would  comfortably 
hold  them  all.  They  were  well  entertained  and  Mr.  Endy 
enjoyed  it  all  thoroughly,  though  he  admitted  to  Arndt  that 
he  was  a  trifle  anxious  as  to  whether  they  could  all  be 
brought  to  look  on  the  plan  (his  cherished  plan!)  favorably. 

Arndt  reassured  him,  saying,  "Their  only  alternative ! 
They  will  accept — it  is  your  plan  or  none,  for  them,  so  far  as 
I  can  see." 

But  by  the  time  they  were  all  seated  Mr.  Endy  found 
that  it  would  be  too  much  for  his  strength  to  address  them 
himself.  In  reality  the  anxiety  as  to  what  they  might  do  in 
regard  to  his  proposition  had  made  him  very  nervous.  For 
this  reason,  when  he  was  wheeled  into  the  room  in  his  big 
office  chair  he  was  obliged  to  say:  "Gentlemen,  although  I 
had  intended  to  state  my  case  to  you  personally — and  did 
not  address  you  by  letter  or  circular  for  that  reason,  more 
than  for  the  sake  of  secrecy — I  find  that  I  will  be  compelled 
to  ask  Mr.  Arndt  to  speak  in  my  stead.  He  is  thoroughly 
conversant  with  my  views  and  plan." 

Arndt,  as  he  arose,  attracted  the  attention  of  every  man. 
Many  had  already  met  him,  and  all  knew  of  him  as  a  strike 
leader.  He  had  always  been  a  notable  man  both  in  appear- 
ance and  manner,  and  the  months  of  daily  association  with 
his  friend  had  added  to  him  those  indescribable  touches  of 
refinement  we  sometimes  find  in  the  possessors  of  wealth.  He 
addressed  them  easily  and  naturally:  "Gentlemen,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  speak  for  another  and  keep  one's  own  opinions  out 
of  sight,  yet  this  is  just  what  Mr.  Endy  desires  me  to  do. 
My  task  might,  possibly,  be  easier  were  I  to  simply  state 
the  plan  projxxsed,  but  Mr.  Endy  desires  that  although  you 
are  called  together  for  a  strictly  business  meeting,  you  be 
made  acquainted  with  the  line  of  thought  which  causes  him 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  191 

to  adopt  the  method  he  has  chosen  as  the  one  most  applicable 
under  present  circumstances. 

"He  has  here  a  collection  of  books — unrivaled  in  the 
world — on  the  subject  of  the  solving  of  the  problem  which 
has  confronted  mankind  ever  since  one  man  found  himself 
possessed  of  more  property  than  his  fellow.  Here,  on  these 
shelves,  are  as  many  solutions  or  attempted  solutions  as  a 
ten  years'  search  has  been  able  to  bring  together. 

"You,  of  course,  are  familiar  with  many  if  not  most  of 
those  plans ;  and  I  shall  only  state  that  Mr.  Endy  has  studied 
each  and  all  of  them  thoroughly  and  has  ended  by  rejecting 
many  of  them  absolutely  and  combining  the  best  features  of 
others  into  a  system  which  he  thinks  will,  at  least,  fully  meet 
the  present  situation." 

Here  Arndt  proceeded  to  give  a  very  fair  and  clear  pre- 
sentation of  the  plan,  and  then  continued : 

"Now,  Mr.  Endy — in  order  to  put  that  plan  into  actual 
operation  has  already  acquired  control  of  almost  a  majority 
of  the  stock — either  by  purchase  or  by  proxies,  but  he  wishes 
to  have  more  than  the  financial  support  of  the  stockholders — 
he  wants  their  moral  support.  For  this  reason  he  has  fully 
stated  all  this.  If  you  approve  of  the  plan  the  first  step  will 
be  to  secure  the  remainder  of  the  proxies  needed  and  then  to 
retire  President  Craggie  and  his  board  of  managers — at  the 
meeting  which  takes  place  on  the  first  of  March." 

Here  Arndt  sat  down  and  there  ensued  much  discussion 
and  figuring ;  and  for  a  time  it  appeared  that  there  was  great 
uncertainty  as  to  the  result ;  but,  after  asking  Mr.  Endy  per- 
sonally a  few  questions,  Mr.  Martinvale,  known  to  all  as 
Mr.  Craggie's  rival,  arose  and  said : 

"I  am  going  to  stand  by  Mr.  Endy  in  this  matter.  I  have 
no  love  for  anything  which  contains  the  elements  of  the  pro- 
posed plan ;  namely,  profit  sharing  and  issuing  stock  in  small 
denominations,  with  inducements  to  the  workers  to  buy.  I 
make  no  pretensions  to  anything  of  the  kind  ;  but  I  see  clearly 
that  we  had  better  take  less  in  the  shape  of  dividends  than  to 
have  the  men  striking  on  our  hands  every  once  in  a  while, 
as  they  have  done  ever  since  Mr.  Craggie  has  been  in  con- 
trol. It  is  either  that  or  a  glutted  market,  all  the  time.  I 
am  not  going  to  let  him  remain  in  power  if  I  can  help  it.  If 
he  is  allowed  to  run  things  in  his  grab-it-all  style  much  longer 


192  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

he  will  make  Socialists  enough  to  let  them  elect  a  President 
and  Congress — and  then  we  would  have  to  fight;  for  I  say 
candidly  that  I  would  never  stand  by  idly  and  see  a  Socialist 
government  instituted  in  this  country.  I  and  all  of  my  class, 
I  am  sure,  will  fight  first." 

He  was  interrupted  by  several  saying  that  they  were  not 
discussing  that  point  at  all. 

"Neither  am  I  discussing  it.  I  am  simply  stating  my 
reasons  for  the  action  I  am  going  to  take.  I  am  going  to 
support  the  movement  with  all  the  stock  I  now  have  and  all 
that  I  can  buy.  If  any  of  you  gentlemen  do  not  feel  con- 
strained to  go  in  with  us  I  will  purchase  his  stock  at  an 
advance  of  five  points  over  the  market  this  afternoon.  Does 
any  one  wish  to  sell  ?" 

As  he  looked  around  the  room  man  after  man  said,  "Not 
I!  Not  I,  Sir!"  until  he  turned  to  his  host  with  a  genial 
smile  and  said,  "I  think  you  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
verdict — even  though  we  don't  profess  to  love  your  plan. 
Your  plan  does  not  go  far  enough.  If  the  contention  of  the 
Socialists  is  right  then  the  full  product  of  the  men's  work 
belongs  to  them ;  but  if  I  am  right,  then,  while  I  may  make 
concessions  to  them,  it  is  poor  business  to  give  them  more 
than  I  must.  Now,  I  see  that  we  must  do  something,  and 
you  are  in  a  position  to  set  the  workers  at  producing  things 
again — and  I  am  tired  of  this  no-profit,  which  is  what  we 
always  get  when  they  quit  work.  I  desire  to  express  to  you, 
both  for  myself  and  the  assembled  company,  our  complete 
confidence  in  you  and  our  perfect  willingness — under  the  cir- 
cumstances— to  give  your  plan  a  fair  trial ;  and  when  I  state 
that  there  were  three  thousand  shares  of  stock  offered  in 
New  York  this  morning  that  found  no  taker,  even  at  a 
decline  of  fifty  per  cent  from  par,  I  think  you  will  be  able  to 
better  grasp  the  significance  of  the  fact  that  not  one  of  your 
guests  will  part  with  his  holdings.  You  certainly  should 
be   satisfied." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you  !"  said  Mr.  Endy  :  but  there  was  a 
tone  of  bitter  disappointment  in  his  voice,  and  he  appeared 
very  weary. 

Arndt  noticed  this  at  once  and  asked  them  all  to  excuse 
his  friend  and  wheeled  him  to  his  room,  where  he  left  him 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  193 

under  the  care  of  Rollins  while  he  went  clown  to  assist  in  the 
departure  of  the  guests. 

When  he  re-entered  the  library  he  found  most  of  the  gen- 
tlemen waiting  to  hear  of  Mr.  Endy's  condition,  and  Mr. 
Martinvale  seemed  much  relieved  when  Arndt  stated  that  he 
seemed  to  be  resting  comfortably  and  that  he  expected  no 
serious  results.  Then  he  added:  "But  I  must  inform  you 
that  his  attending  to  this  matter  personally  at  this  time  was 
against  the  wishes  of  his  physicians,  and  it  was  deferred  until 
the  last  moment  by  their  express  orders.  His  life  is  bound 
up  in  his  plan.  He  has  thought  and  studied  on  nothing 
else  for  years.  His  sole  aim  is  to  benefit  humanity  and  pre- 
vent what  many  think  inevitable." 

Martinvale  replied:  "I  see!  I  see!  I  should  not  have 
spoken  my  mind  so  plainly.  I  am  glad  to  know,  Mr.  Arndt, 
that  you  have  stood  out  steadfastly  against  the  Socialists  in 
the  Union.  You  may  rest  assured  that  when  the  works  are 
set  running  and  the  present  management  replaced  by  men 
who  will  never  ask  a  workman  to  tag  himself  like  a  chattel, 
we  will  not  forget  your  services,  and " 

Arndt  interrupted  him:  "Gentlemen,  I  speak  to  all,  be- 
cause none  of  you  repudiated  the  sentiments  expressed  a 
short  time  ago  by  Air.  Martinvale.  I  have  stood  out  against 
my  Socialist  friends  for  many  years.  I  have,  since  this  strike 
commenced,  been  making  a  thorough  study  of  their  position 
— for  the  first  time.  I  have  had  enough  experiences  during 
this  strike,  in  heading  off  the  utterly  lawless  methods  of 
Mr.  Craggie,  to  make  a  Socialist  of  any  thinking  man.  Doubt- 
less, I  would  have  numbered  myself  with  them  had  it  not 
been  for  the  arguments  and  entreaties  of  Mr.  Endy ;  for  he 
assured  me  that  the  rich,  as  a  class,  did  not  and  would  not 
approve  of  anything  directly  unlawful.  I,  however,  have  this 
day  heard  the  second  most  influential  and  wealthy  man  in 
the  United  States  openly  and  candidly  avow  that  in  the  event 
of  the  Socialist  party  succeeding  legally  in  electing  a  presi- 
dent and  congress,  he  and  his  class  intend  to  start  a  civil 
war  to  prevent  that  legally  elected  president  and  those  legally 
elected  officials  from  taking  their  seats.  I  thank  God  that 
you  are  Mr.  Endy's  guests,  and  not  mine — otherwise  I  would 
not  be  privileged  to  tell  you  that  within  the  last  hour  I  have 
found  out  who  are  the  traitors  in  this  country.     I  will  never 


194  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

again  work  for  you,  gentlemen.  When  those  mills  start  I 
shall  use  all  my  time,  strength  and  money  in  fighting  the  sys- 
tem that  breeds,  rewards  and  protects  rich  men.  My  only 
regret  is  that  having  heard  that  expression  of  sentiments  in  a 
private  meeting  in  my  employer's  home  I  shall  not  be  at 
liberty  to  publish  it  broadcast." 

And  without  offering  to  assist  any  of  them  in  their 
departure  he  turned  and  left  the  room. 

He  was,  in  fact,  much  more  anxious  about  his  friend's 
condition  than  he  had  stated ;  but  he  did  not  wish  to  appear 
as  an  alarmist,  and  so  made  as  light  of  it  as  possible. 

He  felt  certain  that  King  was  already  almost  at  Steel- 
ton  ;  for  when  Mr.  Endy  was  compelled  to  request  him  to 
speak  in  his  stead  he  at  once  telegraphed  to  Clyde,  stating 
the  situation.  He  had  also  sent  for  Kenedy,  but  Kenedy  at 
the  time  the  message  reached  him  had  just  started  a  surgical 
operation  at  the  hospital. 

It  was  therefore  with  a  sense  of  great  foreboding  that 
he  went  to  the  front  door  to  look  down  the  avenue  to  see 
whether  King  was  in  sight. 

Instead  of  King  he  noticed  in  the  distance  the  messenger 
from  the  telegraph  office  coming  at  full  speed,  and  so  he 
waited  at  the  open  door  as  the  guests  one  after  another 
passed  him  without  a  word. 

The  telegram  was  for  him,  and  as  his  eyes  took  in  the 
news  he  exclaimed :  "Thank  God !"  and  hastened  towards  Mr. 
Endy's  room. 

For  all  that  Arthur  said,  was,  "Got  my  man.  Robert  re- 
leased.    Prepare  Mr.  Endy." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"The  devil  incarnate  would  still  be  partly  human." 

— Homely  Truths. 

Mr.  Craggie,  although  he  had  been,  on  the  day  preceding 
the  commencement  of  this  strike,  the  most  powerful  per- 
sonage in  America,  was  in  reality  a  very  ordinary  man. 

The  men  who  accumulated  the  beginnings  of  the  vast  for- 
tunes during  the  last  century  would  not  have  been  weak 
enough  to  have  fallen  victims  to  a  Chambers — they  had  come 
out  from  the  working  class.  Craggie's  one  special  boast  was 
that  he  was  a  successful  business  man ;  but,  in  reality,  it 
would  have  taken  even  a  worse  manager  than  he  to  have 
prevented  the  millions  handed  down  to  him  by  his  father 
from  rolling  up  daily  and  hourly  into  the  fortune  which,  by 
the  time  he  was  able  to  take  complete  control  of  it,  was  so 
great  that  no  dozen  families  could  possibly  have  spent  or 
squandered  the  daily  income.  And  Craggie  made  a  boast 
that  he  never  gave  away  anything. 

Still  he  was  shrewd  enough  to  realize  that  he  had  better 
not  antagonize  a  man  who  held  so  many  weighty  secrets  in 
his  head  as  did  Chambers ;  and  after  hearing  the  secretary 
express  himself  as  he  did  about  Mr.  Endv  he  constrained 
himself  for  several  days  to  pretty  decent  treatment  of  that 
man — and  vented  his  ever  increasing  rage  at  the  way  the 
strike  was  going  against  him,  on  whoever  else  came  handy. 

Chambers  smiled  sardonically  when  he  noticed  this ;  and 
from  that  moment — although  in  presence  of  others  he  was 
the  same  deferential,  low-voiced,  courteous  factotum — he, 
in  ways  utterly  indescribable,  made  the  life  of  the  president 
when  they  were  in  private,  what  Craggie  himself  called  "A 
Hell  on  Earth." 

A  hundred  times  each  day  he  resolved  to  discharge  Cham- 
bers ;  but  he  did  not  dare  trust  the  fellow  out  of  his  reach. 
And  yet  the  daily  sight  of  him,  the  daily  contact  with  this 
man  who  had  proved,  even  to  his  satisfaction,  that  in  brains, 

195 


196  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

in  the  management  of  men  and  in  most  other  things  he  was 
vastly  Craggie's  superior,  had  hecome  so  galling  to  the  presi- 
dent that  it  seemed  impossible  to  be  endured. 

But  how  to  get  rid  of  him  without  murdering  him  he  did 
not  know.  He  never  seriously  entertained  the  thought  of 
murder ;  but  there  was  one  moment  of  special  exasperation 
when  Chambers  coolly  reminded  him  of  some  bitterly  dis- 
agreeable truth  that  the  idea  did  flash  across  his  mind.  But 
then,  there  was  the  undiscovered  friend ! 

And  the  secret  service  fund !  What  a  mint  of  money  it 
was  eating  up,  and  how  utterly  fruitless  was  the  expenditure. 
He  one  day  insisted  on  making  another  attempt  to  bribe  a 
member  of  the  strike  committee.  Chambers  told  him  plainly 
that  it  could  not  be  done.  The  next  day  he  had  the  mortifica- 
tion of  having  the  thanks  of  Baker  printed  in  the  paper,  and 
there,  right  below  it,  was  the  statement  that  the  amount  had 
been  turned  over  to  the  strikers'  treasury. 

This  was  too  much  !  He  forgot  himself  and  commenced 
to  abuse  Chambers.  Among  other  pieces  of  information  he 
stated  that  he  wished  that  his  secretary  was  in  the  infernal 
regions. 

"Why  of  course  you  do,"  was  the  taunting  reply;  "but, 
don't  be  too  impatient.  I'll  get  there,  all  in  good  time.  I 
expect,  though,  that  I  would  have  been  there  before  now  if  it 
had  not  been  for  a  certain  friend  of  mine  who  is  discreetly 
absent.  You  haven't  discovered  him  yet, — not  yet.  Let  me 
reassure  you  !     Some  day  you  will — and  then " 

This  last  reflection  pleased  Chambers  so  much  that  he 
reached  over  the  desk  and  took  a  cigar  out  of  the  president's 
box,  lit  and  smoked  it. 

Usually  he  said  he  preferred  his  own  brand;  and  besides. 
he  once  in  a  while  remarked  to  the  president  that  he  was 
rather  afraid  that  Mr.  Craggie's  cigars  might  not  eventually 
agree  with  him. 

But  this  morning  he  was  so  well  pleased  with  his  words, 
or  with  his  thoughts,  that  he  said — as  he  mixed  the  cigars 
before  selecting  a  second  one — as  he  closed  his  eyes  and 
picked  it  from  the  box,  "I  always  did  like  gambling  in  every 
shape  and  form — and  this  time  I  am  staking  my  life  on  a 
single  draw." 

Mr.  Craggie  left  the  car. 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  197 

The  next  day  two  detectives  were  set  to  work  again ;  and 
this  time  Chambers  made  no  protest.  But  during  the  course 
of  the  week  Mr.  Craggie  called  them  into  the  car  and  gave 
them  a  scoring  for  having  accepted  money  from  Chambers. 
He  was  too  angry  to  notice  that  Chambers,  who  was  appar- 
ently paying  no  attention  to  the  affair,  once  in  a  while  glanced 
up  from  his  writing  and  winked  to  the  men  over  the  presi- 
dent's shoulders.  They  did  not  attempt  to  defend  themselves 
and  were  promptly  discharged ;  and  after  they  had  left  the 
car  Chambers  soothingly  remarked:  "Now!  that  was  sen- 
sible. We  will  be  ever  so  much  more  comfortable  without 
them.  It  never  seems  quite  pleasant  or  homelike  with  spies 
around.  A  detective  seems  very  like  a  snake  to  me — and, 
besides,  they  were  so  expensive.  They  insisted  that  you  were 
paying  them  very  liberally — and  so  I  had  to  be  even  more 
generous." 

By  this  time  Chambers  showed  openly  that  he  was  enjoy- 
ing the  situation.  Mr.  Craggie's  conduct,  words  and 
appearance  indicated  clearly  that  the  enjoyment  was  confined 
strictly  to  one  man ;  but  that  one  evidently  got  enough  pleas- 
ure out  of  it  to  have  satisfied  a  regiment. 

In  reality  it  was  only  the  next  week  that  he  felt  im- 
pelled to  state  that  fact  to  the  president.  He  worked  around 
to  it  by  saying  that  at  first  he  had  thought  that  he  had  paid 
too  dear  for  his  secretaryship — a  situation  which  he  was  per- 
mitted (by  the  blessing  of  Providence  and  the  kindness  of 
his  hearer)  to  occupy  solely  because  of  his  merits. 

"But  I  will  tell  you,  candidly,"  he  continued,  when  the 
president  glared  at  him,  "that  it  is  cheap  at  the  price.  The 
two-hundred-thousand  I  gave  up  was  a  lot  of  money ;  but, 
what  with  the  pleasure  of  your  society  and  the  increase  in 
salary,  I  figure  that  I  am  pretty  near  even — and  if  it  be  per- 
mitted me  to  add  the  delight  I  find  in  stating  truths  and 
unadulterated  opinions  to  the  most  powerful  man  in  the 
world  without  a  sentiment  of  fear  or  the  trembling  of  an 
eyelash,  I  am  uncountably  ahead." 

Although  the  inspection  was  not  nearly  complete  Mr. 
Craggie  ordered  a  return  to  Clyde,  where,  by  assuming  per- 
sonal management  of  the  strike,  he  would  be  able  to  fill  the 
day  with  conferences   with  his  superintendents  and  man- 


198  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

agers  and  thus  would  be  able  to  prevent  having  to  listen  to 
such  things. 

But  when  he  heard  that  order  given  Chambers  smiled 
even  more  sardonically  than  before — knowing  how  greatly 
his  chief  detested  coming  in  personal  contact  with  his  under- 
lings. 

From  that  moment  Chambers  seemed  to  be  repentant,  and 
took  no  advantage  of  the  hours  while  they  were  on  the  home- 
ward trip.  Even  after  their  arrival  at  Clyde  his  good  con- 
duct continued,  until,  Mr.  Craggie — being  heartily  sick  of 
going  into  details  with  his  lieutenants — remarked  that  the  air 
of  Clyde  never  had  agreed  with  him  and  that  he  proposed  to 
finish  the  inspection,  and  gave  Chambers  orders  to  have  all 
things  in  readiness  the  next  day. 

Chambers  laid  down  his  pen  and  looked  squarely  into  the 
president's  eyes  as  he  remarked,  significantly,  "The  trip  was 
the  most  delightfully  enjoyable  that  any  mortal  ever  took  ;  but 
I  am  rather  tired  of  traveling  now, — and  I  would  like  to 
rest." 

Now  this  was  the  very  day  the  public  became  aware  that 
Mr.  Craggie  was  selling  Iron  and  Steel  stock ;  and  it  was  this 
fact  that  sent  it  down  to  sixty.  The  telegram  which  was 
handed  to  the  president  at  this  moment  informed  him  that 
the  bottom  was  out  of  the  market.  This,  together  with  the 
insubordination,  was  the  proverbial  last  straw. 

Mr.  Craggie  cursed  Chambers  to  his  face. 

He  did  it  only  once. 

Chambers  made  no  reply,  but  quietly  arose  and  put  on  his 
hat  and  coat  and  walked  towards  the  door. 

He  came  back  to  the  desk  and  mixed  the  cigars  in  the  box, 
picked  one  at  random  and  lit  it. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Chambers?"  the  president  de- 
manded.     "That  work  must  be " 

"Mr.  Chambers,  if  you  please,  Sir.  I  have  no  objection 
— none  whatever — to  informing  you  that  I  am  going  to  hunt 
up  my  friend  who  took  down  your  exceedingly  interesting 
conversation  witli  Johnson.  I  merely  wish  to  ascertain 
whether  he  can  reproduce  that  conversation  from  memory. 
He  has  a  most  remarkable  memory,  Mr.  Craggie — almost  a 
phenomenal  memory,  in  fact.     Once  let  him  hear  a  word  or 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  199 

sentence,  and  I've  never  known  him  to  forget  a  syllable 
of  it." 

Here  he  walked  to  the  door  and  stood  with  his  hand  on 
the  knob,  waiting  for  the  president's  reply. 

At  the  mention  of  those  fatal  stenographic  notes  Mr. 
Craggie  fairly  boiled  over.  As  Chambers  looked  he  became 
thoroughly  convinced  that  he  had  stirred  up  the  final  erup- 
tion ;  but  he  seemed  to  be  well  pleased  with  the  situation. 

The  president  paced  up  and  down  the  car  with  rapid 
strides  and  said  furiously,  "That's  exactly  what  I've  been 
expecting  all  along.  There  is  said  to  be  honor  among 
thieves,  but  one  need  not  expect  it  from  you.  I  wish  to  God 
that  I  had  followed  Johnson's  advice  the  first  day,  and  dared 
you  and  your  infamous  friend  to  do  your  worst.  Johnson 
warned  me  of  this  very  thing;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  that 
cursed  fool — whoever  he  was — who  attacked  Endy  that  night 
— and  so,  almost  put  a  halter  about  my  neck — I  would  have 
defied  you  quick  enough." 

Here  the  secretary  took  advantage  of  the  president's  being 
out  of  breath  and  having  to  pause,  and  remarked  soothingly 
as  he  resumed  his  chair,  "We,  most  of  us,  have  spilled  con- 
siderable milk  in  our  time ;  but  I  believe  it  is  universally  con- 
ceded to  be  unwise  and  wasteful  to  cry  over  it.  Never  do 
it,  myself !  Every  one  of  your  remarks  is  true.  I  remem- 
ber an  old  saying  which  goes  something  like  this :  Tf  Cleo- 
patra's nose  had  been  shorter  the  face  of  the  whole  world 
would  have  been  changed.'  Now,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
your  little  afternoon's  enjoyment  as  you  bragged  to  Johnson 
of  your  achievements  and  intentions,  and  if  you  hadn't 
dropped  your  voice  and  put  your  head  so  close  to  Johnson's, 
at  a  point  that  didn't  amount  to  a  hill  of  beans  anyhow, 
(according  to  the  statement  of  both  of  you),  and  if  un- 
friend hadn't  been  so  unkind  as  to  stop  his  interesting  narra- 
tive at  the  very  point  which  you  and  Johnson  insist  would 
have  cleared  you,  and  if  you  hadn't  fooled  Johnson  by  let- 
ting him  go  back  in  an  ordinary  train  while  you  coolly  trav- 
eled over  the  same  route  as  far  as  Steelton  in  style,  and  if 
you  had  not  been  such  a  fool — to  use  your  own  words — as 
to  have  slept,  that  night  of  all  nights,  at  Steelton,  and  if 
you  had  been  able  to  prove  an  alibi,  and  if  and  if  and  if — 
Let  me  tell  you,  Mr.  President,  IF  is  pretty  nearly  as  small 


20o  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

a  word  as  well  could  be ;  but  it's  the  only  thing  in  the  entire 
universe  I  am  afraid  of ;  it  makes  the  difference,  at  last,  be- 
tween Heaven  above  and  Hell  beneath.  I  once  took  an  after- 
noon's stroll  with  one  whom  I  loved,  as  I  never  before  or 
since  have  loved,  and  we  planned  a  beautiful  and  useful  and 
pleasant  existence  together  for  years  to  come.  We  forgot  if. 
Inside  of  half  an  hour  after  our  return  that  one  had  died  a 
suicide's  dishonored  death. 

"No,  no ;  It  will  not  do  to  forget  //." 

And  the  secretary  threw  down  his  cigar,  took  off  his  hat 
and  coat,  and  resumed  his  writing  where  he  had  left  off — 
just  as  if  nothing  out  of  the  usual  had  occurred. 

There  was  silence  in  the  car  until  he  finished  his  work — 
and  all  this  time  he  looked  very  solemn. 

Never  once  in  all  these  months  had  Chambers  neglected 
the  duties  of  his  office.  His  work  as  private  secretary  had 
been  excellent,  in  all  the  preceding  years, — now  it  became 
perfection.  His  stenographic  notes  were  taken  at  a  speed 
which  even  Mr.  Craggie,  who  from  long  practice  had  become 
an  expert  dictator,  could  not  keep  ahead  of;  and  his  work 
was  so  clear  and  easily  read  that  once  the  president — in  spite 
of  his  dread  of  the  man — made  the  remark  that  if  he  kept 
on  improving  he  would  soon  surpass  the  sneak  thief — as  he 
spitefully   called  the   secretary's   friend. 

As  Mr.  Craggie  sat  there  looking  at  him  this  morning 
he  could  not  but  recall  the  answer. 

"Yes,  Sir,  thank  you.  I  don't  think  he  today  is  much 
more  expert  than  I ;  but  then,  he  is  entirely  out  of  practice. 
I  saw  him  the  other  day ;  and  he  assured  me  that  he  had  not 
taken  down  a  single  word  since  the  last  one  he  took  of  yours 
before  leaving  the  car.  Don't  have  to,  you  know !  He  is 
well  able  to  take  a  prolonged  rest.  In  fact,  may  never  do 
anything  more  difficult  than  talk,  in  future.  I  myself,  might 
have  been  able  to  go  abroad,  as  you  are  aware ;  but  I  could 
not  bear  to  tear  myself  away  from  you  and  your  society — 
and,  besides,  I'd  have  missed  the  work.  I've  been  in  the 
harness  too  long  to  stop  until  the  end  comes.  I  enjoy  seeing 
a  well  finished  piece  of  work — no  matter  if  it  be  only  the  dig- 
ging of  a  grave,  let  the  walls  be  plumb  and  smooth — and  I 
enjoy  the  finishing. 

"I  am  really  sorry  that  you  have  not  enjoyed  these  last 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  201 

months  as  much  as  I  have.  I  am  just  as  sorry  as  any  fish 
ever  was  when  he  ate  the  other  fish  for  dinner,  and  I  don't 
forget  that  there  is  a  bigger  fish  in  the  pond  who  may — 
and  probably  will — eat  me,  in  due  time.  I  suppose  if  there 
could  have  been  a  universe  constructed  in  which  no  one 
would  have  had  to  provide  the  materials  for  the  other  fel- 
low's meal — and  that  out  of  his  own  body — it  would  have 
been  arranged  that  way.     I  am  really  sorry  it  wasn't. 

"But,  on  the  other  hand,  I  am  not  like  the  strikers  or 
Arndt  or  Endy.  I've  no  use  for  that  kind.  Before  I  came 
to  you,  I  had.  Now,  you  please  me  much  better.  They  are 
either  enthusiasts  who  cannot  see  but  one  side  of  the  case,  or 
they  are  knaves.  I  call  every  man  dishonest  who  declaims 
against  existing  conditions  and  at  the  same  time  helps  those 
conditions  to  exist  (by  his  vote  or  otherwise)  in  the  hope 
that  some  day  he  or  his  may  be  able  to  get  the  benefit  of  those 
conditions.  Socialism  is  an  undoubted  solution,  and  would 
end  all  the  suffering  and  crime  which  grow  out  of  the 
present  inequalities  of  station  and  wealth — but  these  very 
workers  will  have  none  of  it — and  never  will  have,  unless  you 
are  foolish  enough  to  deprive  the  middle  class  of  its  holdings 
and  push  the  farmers  to  the  wall.  They  don't  want  Equal- 
ity, in  spite  of  all  their  talk. 

"That  was  a  fine  idea  of  yours,  Mr.  Craggie,  to  publish 
so-called  interviews  of  so-called  self-made  men,  which  always 
say — plainly  or  by  implication : — Go  thou  and  do  likewise ; 
there's  a  chance  for  every  man  to.  do  as  I  have  done. 

"That  was  really  as  brilliant  a  thing  as  ever  you  con- 
ceived ;  but  it  is  a  constant  source  of  surprise  to  me  that  the 
public  have  never  seemed  even  to  suspect  that  you  are  finan- 
cially interested  in  all  those  publishing  houses.  Yes ;  it  was 
a  brilliant  thought. 

"That  hope  has  done  more  to  prevent  your  unjust  laws 
being  upset  than  all  the  money  you  ever  spent  on  the  legisla- 
tures. The  workingmen  say  little  or  nothing  when  their  rep- 
resentatives make  those  laws,  and  they  permit  them  to  remain 
on  the  statute  books  and  operate  to  their  present  disadvan- 
tage— and  they  would  do  neither  if  they  did  not  hope  and 
expect  to  personally  get  the  benefit  of  them. 

"When  they  actually  want  Equality  and  the  Brotherhood 
of  Man  they  will  get  them  fast  enough — and  in  spite  of  us. 


202  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"Now,  I  don't  believe  there  is  pie  enough  to  go  around 
and  keep  me  and  a  few  others  of  large  capacity  with  full 
stomachs.  A  half-filled  bread-basket  may  suit  the  men  who 
are  going  to  win  this  time ;  but  it  would  not  suit  either  of  us, 
Mr.  Craggie. 

"Something,  or  Somebody,  gave  you  and  me  an  immense 
capacity ;  and  we  are  going  to  live  up  to  our  natures  and  have 
that  capacity  fully  satisfied,  if  it  takes  the  death  of  h-alf  a  mil- 
lion small  fry  to  provide  the  meal.  Ain't  that  the  way,  Mr. 
President?" 

And  Mr.  Craggie  remembered  the  talk  so  perfectly  that 
he  was  not  one  whit  surprised  when — as  he  reached  the 
conclusion  of  his  thought — Chambers  looked  up  from  his 
work  and  said,  "Yes,  I  am  sorry  for  the  small  fry — ain't  you, 
Mr.  Craggie?" 

And  that  remark  made  the  president  notice  that  Chambers 
was  clearing  his  desk  rapidly  and  with  even  more  neatness 
and  accuracy,  if  that  were  possible,  than  ever  before ;  and, 
in  spite  of  his  rage,  the  man  could  not  but  take  pleasure  in  the 
way  the  work  was  done. 

When  the  last  letter  was  written  and  the  last  envelope 
sealed  and  placed  in  the  mail  bag  which  hung  against  the  side 
of  the  car,  Chambers  lit  one  of  his  own  cigars  and  leaned 
back  luxuriously  in  his  chair  and  said,  "This  life  in  a  car 
suits  me  exactly.  It  fits  me  all  over.  I  never  liked  hotel 
life.  Have  to  brush  up  against  too  many  people  to  please 
me.  Have  the  same  feeling  that  you  have  in  the  matter. 
Like  to  choose  my  company.     Would  be  sorry  to  leave  you, 

but "  and  here  he  spoke  slowly  and  very  emphatically — 

"but  one  must  retain  one's  self  respect,  and  when  a  man 
curses  me  I  always  either  kill  him  or  let  him  apologize :  / 
never  touch  him  with  my  hands,  either.  This  morning,  I 
was  just  going  to  jog  my  friend's  memory,  you  see.  But, 
as  I  stood  at  the  door,  I  thought  of  all  the  many  pleasant  days 
you  and  I  have  had  together,  both  before  and  since  the  Endv 
episode ;  and  I  concluded  that  the  latter  way  would  answer — 
this  time." 

He  paused — took  the  cigar  from  his  lips — looked  straight 
at  Mr.  Craggie,  and  waited. 

Mr.  Craggie  apologized. 

"That's   sufficient  between  gentlemen.     That   incident's 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  203 

closed,"  remarked  Chambers  as  he  arose  to  take  the  mail  bag 
to  the  door  to  give  it  to  the  conductor. 

But  he  was  mistaken. 

Mr.  Craggie  had  paid  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
He  had  been  badgered  daily  for  nearly  four  months.  He 
had  been  beaten  at  every  point  by  the  strikers ;  his  cup  was 
full. 

When  he  apologized  to  Chambers  it  ran  over — and  he 
was  a  dangerous  man.  Too  dangerous  for  even  a  devil  to 
tackle. 

He  made  no  remark  as  Chambers  left  the  car;  but  that 
apology  stuck  in  his  mind,  and  he  heard  himself  repeating 
the  words  in  which  he  had  assured  Chambers  of  his  sorrow 
that,  in  a  moment  of  anger  and  irritation,  he  had  been  guilty 
of  using  language  unbecoming  an  officer  and  a  gentleman — 
words  which  had  been  dictated  by  Chambers,  and  which 
repeated  themselves  so  often  in  the  president's  mind  that  at 
last  he  realized  the  enormity  that  had  been  committed ;  that 
he,  Gustavus  Adolphus  Craggie,  multi-millionaire  and  Presi- 
dent, had  apologized  to  his  secretary. 

And  then  there  came  a  look  in  his  eyes  that  should  have 
warned  any  man  that  it  was  time  to  run  away.  But, 
although  the  secretary  examined  the  face  of  his  chief  and 
saw  the  look,  he  only  remarked  as  he  resumed  his  seat, 
"I  would  like  to  take  a  little  vacation  this  afternoon,  if  you 
have  no  objection,  Mr.  Craggie.  Private  business  of  great 
importance  to  the  country  to  attend  ,to,  you  see." 

Mr.  Craggie  was  too  angry  to  say  anything,  so  the  sec- 
retary proceeded. 

"Now,  I  always  like  to  leave  a  clean  table  behind  me. 
Therefore  I  will  say,  in  regard  to  your  passing  remark 
about  honor  among  thieves,  that  you  seem  to  have  for- 
gotten our  agreement.  You  will  please  correct  me  if  I 
misquote.  I  was  to  guarantee  that  every  scrap  of  paper  on 
which  my  friend's  notes  had  been  taken,  had  been  either 
destroyed  or  delivered  to  you.  Now,  I  always  have  prided 
myself  on  two  things :  the  accuracy  of  my  language  and 
the  fact  that  1  never  tell  an  unnecessary  lie. 

"Please  note !  My  friend's  memory  was  not  even  men- 
tioned, and  it  will  never  be  invoked  unless  I  am  either  in 
danger  or  die  a  violent  death.     My  friend's  memory  could 


204  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

not  have  been  silenced  for  ten  million, — as  you  know.  I 
am  sorry  to  have  to  allude  to  this  matter;  but  every  part 
of  my  agreement  has  been  lived  up  to, — to  the  letter." 

Mr.  Craggie  said  sullenly,  and  as  though  reluctantly, 
"Go,  if  you  want  to." 

Late  that  afternoon  Chambers  walked  into  the  office  of 
Chandler  and  jovially  said,  "You  notice,  I'm  alive !  Thought 
I'd  just  bring  my  daily  report  in  person.  Is  the  evidence 
satisfactory  ?" 

"Perfectly!  But  both  you  and  your  chief  look  rather 
the  worse  for  wear." 

"Well,  what  can  you  expect?  There's  Arndt  and  Mr. 
Endy  and  yourself, — to  say  nothing  of  over  a  million  strik- 
ers and  the  Almighty  alone  knows  how  many  people  out 
of  work, — to  keep  up  with,  stock  way  down,  and  Craggie's 
temper  something  awful.  You  don't  expect  two  lone  men, 
living  in  a  car,  tramping  all  over  the  country,  to  lay  on 
flesh  under  such  conditions,  do  you?" 

"Not  much,  I'll  allow,"  said  dandier. 

"Well,  so  far  as  Craggie  is  concerned  I  think  that  he 
would  get  fat,  and  fast  enough,  if  it  were  not  for  just  one 
man;  and  as  for  me,  I  would  not  be  able  to  get  in  or  out 
the  door  of  the  car,  on  account  of  surplus  flesh,  were  it 
not  that  every  once  in  so  often  the  temptation  to  gamble 
gets  too  strong  for  me,  and  then  I  shut  my  eyes  and  pick 
out  Of  Craggie's  box,  a  cigar, — which  may  some  day  be 
the  wrong  one." 

Chandler  hastened  to  say :  "Don't  let  yourself  get  mor- 
bid. I  know  that  the  strain  is  something  fearful,  on  both 
of  you ;  but  Craggie  is  not  that  kind :  he  would  never  kill 
any  one." 

"Let  me  assure  you  that  Craggie  has  been  in  an  abso- 
lutely murderous  mood  ever  since  this  strike  started ;  and 
so  far  as  not  killing  any  one,  perhaps  not  directly  with  his 
own  hands — he's  too  big  a  coward  for  that ;  but  I  know  of 
one  man  that  he  murdered,  or  rather,  assassinated." 

Chandler  looked  incredulous  and  then  Chambers  said, 
"T  have  no  time  to  go  into  that  today;  but  you  may  rely 
on  the  statement,  and  T  will  on  a  future  occasion  give  you 
the  facts  and  my  reasons  for  keeping  silent.  As  I  said, 
the  strain  of  those  moments  during  which  I  am  waiting — 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  205 

as  I  calmly  smoke  that  cigar,  expectantly  waiting — is  tell- 
ing on  me.  So  1  have  come  up  here  to  have  you  destroy 
the  old  power  of  attorney  and  draw  up  a  new  one  which 
shall  read :  'Thirty  days  after  failure  to  receive  a  daily 
letter  from  me  which  shall  contain  the  words  T  am  well,'  or 
immediately  upon  receipt  of  conclusive  evidence  of  my  death, 
Harry  Chandler  and  Charles  Arndt  or  either  of  them,  or 
their  legal  representative,  are  herebv  authorized,  and  so 
forth." 

When  this  was  properly  attended  to,  with  due  secrecy 
as  before,  Chambers  said — as  he  stood  at  the  door — "That 
makes  me  feel  better.  I  may  be  able  to  live  considerably 
longer  if  I  am  able  to  point  out  the  existence  of  this  docu- 
ment to  a  certain  gentleman.  Perhaps  it  would  be  just  as 
well  to  have  your  clerk  make  a  copy  of  that  and  send  it 
to  me.     No!     I  will  wait  for  it." 

He  went  back  to  his  chair,  and  while  they  waited  he 
talked  fluently  and  brilliantly  on  general  topics ;  and  as  he 
arose  to  go  he  remarked,  "Well,  the  strike  is  nearly  at  an 
end.  You  ought  to  have  seen  Craggie  when  the  foreign- 
war  conspiracy  exploded.  Did  you  ever  hear  him  curse? 
No?  I  forgot,  he  is  a  church  member  and  does  that  only 
in  the  presence  of  his  God  and  his  secretary.  I  can  tell  you. 
if  hating  would  kill  a  man  the  president  of  the  United  States 
would  have  been  slain  by  Craggie's  hate,  that  day  or  since. 
I  don't  think  he's  missed  a  day  from  that  until  this  in  call- 
ing him  a  demagogue  and  white-livered  traitor.  He  doesn't 
love  Mr.  Endy  either.  Perhaps  you  had  better  resume  your 
daily  answers.  They  filled  the  bill  exactly,  the  time  before. 
Did  the  work  to  a  T.  They  will  make  me  feel  as  if  I  were 
in  touch  with  friends.  It  is  pretty  tough  when  a  man  has 
to  ask  his  lawyer  to  simulate  friendship  because  in  all  this 
wide  world  there  is  not  one  of  his  equals  who  would  care 
if  he  dropped  out  tonight.  But  I  am  not  complaining.  One 
can't  have  everything ;  and  I  suppose  you  are  correct  in 
saying  that  love  is  the  proper  force — if  only  I  had  been 
born  in  a  world  that  was  built  that  way!  Certainly,  fear  is 
not  peculiarly  adapted  to  inspiring  love  or  friendship.  Well, 
good-bye !     Think  as  well  of  me  as  you  can." 

And  he  shook  Chandler's  hand  again,  but  did  not  wait 
for  any  reply. 


206  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

As  he  passed  from  sight  Chandler  said  aloud,  "That, 
man  is  an  enigma :  he  is  too  smart  for  me." 

During  all  this  time  Mr.  Craggie  had  been  very  busy. 

An  hour  after  Chambers  was  out  of  sight  his  chief  began 
to  look  anxiously  toward  the  door,  and  very  soon  it  opened 
and  a  remarkable  looking  individual  made  his  appearance. 

Mr.  Craggie  addressed  him  at  once  as  Mr.  Arthur  and 
expressed  his  pleasure  that  his  summons  had  found  him  at 
home. 

Arthur  replied :  "Mr  President,  I  felt  confident  .that 
you  would  take  advantage  of  the  offer  I  made  you  as  soon 
as  I  was  certain  that  you  were  not  the  guilty  party  in  the 
Endy  affair.  If  you  had  trusted  me  then,  everything  would 
now  be  different ;  and  I  wish  to  say  that  if  you  do  not 
intend  to  trust  me  fully  and  unreservedly  I  do  not  wish 
to  hear  one  word.  You  have  had  some  of  the  most  skilful 
detectives  in  the  world  on  this  case;  and  every  one  that 
has  said  anything  to  me  about  it  tells  the  same  story :  You 
are  the  man  that  knows  what  we  must  find  out  before  going 
further." 

And  so  the  president  made  a  clean  breast  of  the  whole 
affair.  The  telling  of  the  tale  took  a  long  time  and  it  was 
not  once  interrupted  by  the  detective,  who  took  notes  in  a 
cypher  of  his  own.  At  last  Mr.  Craggie  finished ;  and  then 
Arthur  said,  "I  was  correct  in  one  thing,  anyway:  I  left 
you  out  of  the  assault  business,  long  ago ;  but  I  will  tell  you 
frankly  and  plainly  that  what  you  proposed  would  not  appear 
as  being  so  very  much  better,  either  to  the  court  or  the 
public — nor  does  it  to  me.  You  rich  men  have  got  in 
the  habit  of  having  your  own  way  at  any  cost ;  and  in 
order  to  justify  yourselves  you  give  high-sounding  names 
to  actions  that  I  call  by  very  short  and  evil-sounding  ones. 

"You  must  excuse  me  for  speaking  plainly ;  I  have  a 
personal  regard  for  Mr.  Endy.  and  this  conspiracy  against 
him  touches  me  closely.  But  this  is  not  to  the  point.  I  am 
very  sorry  you  destroyed  the  notes  and  the  papers  Chambers 
gave  you ; — that  was  a  mistake, — almost  as  bad  a  one  as 
could  be." 

And  then  his  hearer  took  from  his  pocket  some  papers 
and  handing  them  to  Arthur  said,  "I  had  to  destroy  the 
notes  and  the  papers  in  his  sight.     He  insisted  on  it:  said 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  207 

that  personally  he  cared  nothing  about  the  matter,  as  he 
freely  acknowledged  that  he  had  made  the  copy  from  the 
dictation  of  his  friend,  but  that  the  principal  insisted  that 
nothing  should  be  left  in  existence  which  would  go  to 
establish  the  fact  that  there  had  ever  been  any  papers  sold 
to  me.  I  simply  had  to  comply ;  for  I  have  never  believed 
that  that  devil  has  done  his  worst.  A  man  never  acts  as 
he  has  acted  who  has  played  his  last  card.  But  I  got  ahead 
of  him  to  this  extent :  I  made  a  copy  of  the  translation 
while  he  had  gone  up  town,  and  before  Johnson  arrived." 

"Good!"  said  the  detective,  "Now  I  have  something 
definite  to  work  with.  Both  this  man  and  his  accomplice 
have  kept  themselves  free  from  any  entangling  alliances 
with  women,  I  am  certain.  Many  a  criminal  has  found  that 
to  be  the  weak  link  in  his  chain,  and  I  make  this  remark 
at  this  time  with  the  intention  of  calling  your  attention  to 
it  afterwards.  I  am  absolutely  certain  of  it  before  we  have 
a  single  clue  as  to  who  the  principal  blackmailer  is." 

He  read  the  paper  aloud. 

Even  Mr.  Craggie  blushed  when  he  heard  his  own  words 
read  by  another. 

After  he  had  finished  Arthur  said,  "I  don't  see  how  you 
could  have  escaped  paying, — the  evidence  in  his  hands  being 
what  it  was,  and  a  confederate  on  the  outside  in  possession 
of  the  facts  which  even  you  and  Johnson  would  have  been 
obliged  to  admit,   if  put  on  the  stand. 

"And  then  that  damning  silence !  Who  would  have 
believed  anything  that  either  of  you  said  after  the  attack 
on  Mr.  Endy  was  once  made?  And  then  this  saying,  'If 
things  go  wrong  there  is  always  young  Endy  for  a  scape- 
goat.' Why,  if  you  and  Johnson  had  tried  to  hang  your- 
selves you  could  not  have  done  it  more  effectually  than 
that.  I  always  speak  right  out,  and  my  clients  usually  know 
exactly  how  a  case  looks  to  me — and  it  appears  that  way 
to  most   unprejudiced   minds. 

"Now,  let  us  see  whether  this  paper  sheds  any  light  on 
the  matter. 

"These  are  exactly  your  words?" 

"Exactly !"  was  the  reply.  "It  was  as  if  I  could  hear 
myself  saying  them,  when  I  first  read  it ;  and  I  complimented 
Chambers  on  the  accuracy    of    the    work.     The   accuracy 


208  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

actually  led  me  into  the  trap,  and  before  I  realized  what 
I  was  doing  I  had  as  good  as  told  him  that  his  friend's 
information  wras  true.  It  is  as  accurate  as  if  a  machine 
had  done  it.'' 

"Machine!"  cried  Arthur,  springing  from  his  chair.  ''Mr. 
Craggie,  you  have  said  the  word,  right  there :  that  is  the 
key  to  this  whole  business.  Where  does  Chambers  usually 
sit?" 

"Over  there,"  said  the  president,  pointing  across  the 
desk ;  "but  there  is  no  machine  in  existence  that  can  take 
down  a  man's  words  on  a  moving  train,  and  it  out  of  sight." 

"Never  mind  about  that,"  said  Arthur,  "the  machine  is 
in  existence ;  for  as  sure  as  you  and  I  are  here,  one  took 
down  your  words — I  see  right  through  this  case  as  if  I  had 
Chambers  here  telling  me  how  it  was  done." 

It  was  the  work  of  only  the  moment  occupied  while 
speaking  these  words  for  Arthur  to  get  to  the  indicated 
spot ;  and  as  he  stooped  and  looked  upward  underneath  the 
desk  he  saw  the  spring  that  set  the  machine  operating,  and 
then  he  whistled  softly  and  said,  "Have  you  a  key  to  this 
drawer  ?" 

"Certainly !  All  the  drawers  on  this  side  unlock  with 
the  same  key — it  lies  right  there  on  top  the  inkstand." 

But  when  they  tried  it  they  found  that  it  did  not  unlock 
that  drawer,  even  if  it  did  open  all  the  others. 

"Now,"  said  Arthur,  "the  machine  that's  been  taking 
down  your  talk  must  be  an  extraordinary  one,  and  it 
undoubtedly  is  in  this  drawer ;  for  Chambers  knows  a  good 
thing  when  he  sees  it,  and  he  has  certainly  -not  stopped 
taking  down  your  conversations.  I  suppose  that  by  this 
time  he  has  enough  evidence  against  you  to  make  the  coun- 
try too  hot  to  hold  you.  You've  been  in  the  habit  of  talk- 
ing confidentially  with  him,  I  infer.  I  never  knew  a  par- 
ticularly reticent  person  who  was  not  correspondingly  con- 
fiding with  some  one." 

"Nothing  to  amount  to  anything  since  the  night  Eudy 
was  attacked,"  said  Mr.  Craggie,  sharply. 

The  detective  remarked,  "I  see!  Well,  we  must  not 
break  or  tamper  with  the  lock  or  he  will  know  that  I  am 
after  him.  We  must  get  hold  of  this  machine ;  although  I 
expect   lie   will   have  hidden   the  records  we   want.      Give 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  209 

me  your  key  to  the  car  and  take  him  up  the  road  with  you 
tonight  on  the  regular  seven-thirty.  And  you  had  better 
keep  your  eye  on  him  most  of  the  time,  too !  In  fact,  I  will 
send  a  man  whom  I  can  trust,  to  keep  him  in  sight  while 
you  sleep. 

"Send  your  cook  and  conductor  and  engineer  on  a  vaca- 
tion for  two   days." 

He  walked  to  the  cook's  room  and  looked  in.  "No 
evidence  of  any  cooking  lately!" 

"None  on  this  car,"  said  Mr.  Craggie  emphatically.  I 
paid  eight-hundred-thousand  dollars  for  what  I  thought  was 
heard  through  this  little  hole  (pointing  it  out),  and  I 
decided  that  was  enough.  I  ought  to  be  kicked  for  not 
seeing  through  this.  He  has  as  good  as  told  me,  a  thou- 
sand times,  that  it  was  a  machine." 

Arthur  could  not  keep  from  laughing.  "Of  course  he 
has!  That's  just  Chambers  all  over!  He  has  simply  been 
playing  with  you — and  I  know  him  well  enough  to  be  cer- 
tain that  he  has  been  enjoying  even  the  risk  of  detection: 
fancy  his  staying  with  you  after  swindling  you !" 

"He  is  a  devil !"  said  the  president  fiercely,  "but  I  will 
be  too  much  for  him,  in  the  end." 

"Keep  your  eyes  open.  He  is  pretty  shrewd.  I  don't 
expect  that  he  ever  told  you  it  was  a  man  at  all." 

"You  are  partly  right,"  said  Mr.  Craggie,  "it  was  almost 
always  'A  friend  of  mine.'  " 

"I'll  bet  he  paid  a  pretty  penny  for  the  friendship,"  said 
the  detective  as  he  left  the  car." 

It  was  towards  nightfall  when  Chambers  returned,  and 
the  president  was  beginning  to  become  anxious  lest  he 
had  become  frightened  and  run  away.  But  when  he  came 
in  sight  of  the  car  he  was  whistling  his  favorite  air  from 
"II  Trovatore"  and  appeared  to  be  in  unusually  good  spirits. 
He  remarked  that  he  hoped  that  the  president  had  not  been 
lonely  or  suffered  from  any  lack  of  excitement  during  his 
enforced  absence, — which  he  said  had  been  unduly  prolonged 
owing  to  his  having  had  a  farewell  interview  with  his 
friend, — and  that  he  wished  to  assure  his  hearer  that  the 
silence  of  his  friend  was  solemnly  pledged  until  after  the 
death  of  a  certain  person  with  whom  the  president  was 
very  well  acquainted. 


210  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Mr.  Craggie  could  not  help  retorting:  "I've  had  all  the 
excitement  that  was  good  for  me,  I  expect;"  and  Cham- 
bers expressed  neither  surprise  nor  opposition  when  he  was 
informed  that  they  were  to  take  the  regular  and  travel  north 
all  night.  He  only  said — below  his  breath — as  he  lit  another 
of  the  president's  cigars,  "I  got  that  new  power  of  attorney 
attended  to  just  in  time." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"Life  is  a  disease  of  which  sleep  relieves  us ;    it  is  but  a  palliative : 
death  is  the  remedy." 

— Cham  fort. 

The  early  dawn  of  the  twenty-third  of  February  gave 
promise  of  one  of  those  rare  days,  scattered  throughout  the 
year,  which  make  us  breathe  deep,  walk  erect  and  with  a 
light  step,  face  the  sun  and  floating  fleecy-white  clouds  and 
unfathomable  depth  of  blue  beyond  with  gladness,  and  which 
seem  to  shout  to  our  willing  senses,  "Sorrow  and  Death 
are  passed  from  the  universe." 

To  Robert,  greeting  the  first  rays  of  the  life-giving  sun 
from  behind  prison  bars,  it  said  not  quite  so  much ;  but 
even  to  him  it  seemed  the  harbinger  of  hope,  and  he  found 
himself  again  making  plans  for  the  future — plans  vastly 
different  from  those  of  other  days. 

He  knew  that  Arndt  would  not  be  able  to  visit  him 
as  usual,  owing  to  the  great  meeting  at  the  mansion;  so 
he  tried  to  while  away  the  hours  by  reading.  But  he  soon 
found  his  mind  wandering  to  what  he  supposed  was  tak- 
ing place  at  the  meeting.  He  was  not  so  sanguine  of  a  hearty 
acceptance  of  the  plan  as  either  Arndt  or  his  father.  He 
knew  the  men  they  had  to  deal  with  far  better  than  they. 
Still  he  was  convinced  that  without  the  shares  his  father 
owned  and  controlled  Martinvale  would  be  unable  to  re- 
organize the  company  and  overthrow  Craggie. 

From  that  his  thoughts  carried  him  forward  to  the  day 
when  he  could  again  walk  the  earth  a  free  man ;  and  so 
perfectly  in  accord  with  such  reflections  was  the  present 
day  that  he  stood  for  hours  at  the  grated  window,  not  let- 
ting his  eyes  look  on  man's  work,  but  gazing  straight  and 
steadfastly  at  the  sky  and  clouds,  and  unconsciously  absorb- 
ing their  quieting  calm. 

Three  o'clock  found  him  standing  thus ;  and  the  inser- 
tion of  the  key  and  the  opening  of  the  door  recalled  him 

211 


212  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

to  his  surroundings.  He  turned  instantly  and  read  on  the 
faces  of  Arthur  and  Chandler  that  he  was  free. 

(Bertram  had  been  dismissed  from  the  case  about  three 
weeks  previous,  owing  to  his  having  proposed  to  Robert 
to  secure  his  release  and  final  acquittal  by  means  of  pur- 
chased, perjured  testimony.) 

Arthur  said  simply,  "Come!  Let's  go  at  once.  I  have 
wired  Arndt  to  prepare  your  father.    I  got  my  man  at  last." 

Chandler  wrung  Robert's  hand  in  silence  and  then  aided 
him  to  pack  what  he  wished  to  take  with  him — leaving  most 
of  his  books  to  be  sent  by  express. 

They  were  out  of  the  building  and  on  their  way  to  the 
station  at  four.  Some  time  was  wasted  while  waiting  for  the 
next  train.  Just  before  it  arrived  they  noticed  King's  car- 
riage drive  up,  and  when  he  entered  he  came  straight  to 
them  and  said: 

"I  congratulate  you,  Mr.  Endy.  I  am  on  my  way  to 
visit  your  father." 

"He  is  not  worse?"  Robert  demanded  anxiously. 

"He  found  himself  unable  to  personally  address  them, 
Arndt  wired  me ;  and  as  you  know,  I  counseled  against  his 
having  the  meeting  at  all.  I  thought  it  better  to  go  with- 
out being  sent  for,  this  time." 

The  train  was  one  of  those  resultants  of  the  capitalistic 
system  of  production  and  distribution  which  the  rich  inflict 
on  the  poor.  Robert  had  tried  to  secure  a  special,  but  had 
been  answered  curtly  that  it  was  impossible.  Their  first 
glance  at  the  engine  and  cars  as  they  pulled  into  the  station 
showed  Robert  that  the  outfit  had  been  suited  only  to  the 
scrap  pile  for  years.  But  they  could  do  no  better  and  got 
aboard. 

They  turned  the  back  of  one  of  the  seats  and  faced  each 
other,  and  then  Robert  said,  "I  suppose  that  there  will  be 
plenty  of  hot  boxes  on  this  wreck  if  we  go  over  ten  miles 
an  hour.  Craggie  should  be  made  to  ride  in  this  himself, 
for  a  day  or  two." 

He  noticed  a  look  of  understanding  pass  between  the 
others  ;  and  then  he  turned  and  said  to  Arthur :  "You  might 
as  well  while  away  the  time  by  telling  us  of  your  search. 
Tell  it  from  the  beginning.     It  should  be  worth  hearing." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  213 

"Go  on,"  said  Chandler  as  he  saw  Arthur  hesitate, 
"King  is  one  of  us." 

"There  is  not  much  to  tell  until  about  a  week  ago,"  was 
the  reply.  "Then  things  began  to  come  my  way.  All  the 
other  time  seems  to  have  been  wasted — simply  wasted — 
because  we  were  all  on  the  wrong  trail, — owing  to  the  lack 
of  the  knowledge  which  Mr.  Craggie  would  not  disclose. 

"I  had  followed  Mr.  Endy,  as  you  all  know,  and  soon 
had  evidence  enough  to  have  set  him  free ;  but  right  there 
I  lost  myself  as  I  have  never  before  done.  I  followed  trail 
after  trail  only  to  every  time  land  at  the  same  spot.  I  had 
the  wrong  man  again  on  the  string  when  Mr.  Craggie  let 
me  know  tha't  he  wanted  to  see  me. 

"I  had  been  wanting  to  have  him  talk  to  me  in  some  other 
character  than  a  suspect,  for  some  time;  and  therefore  had 
given  him  an  address  where  he  could  communicate  with  me. 
At  the  time  I  did  so  he  very  emphatically  informed  me  that 
I  would  never  again  do  another  bit  of  work  for  him  or  his 
friends ;  but  I  left  my  card  just  the  same. 

"And  right  then  he,  unwitingly,  was  the  cause  of  my 
losing  much  time ;  for  I  told  him  plainly  that  the  guilty 
party  could  not  possibly  be  Mr.  Endy's  son — and  I  proved  it 
to  him.  And  then  he  said  that  he  had  reason  to  suspect 
a  man  in  Pennsylvania  whose  name  and  description  he  gave 
me.  But  if  the  grave  has  not  already  yawned  for  that  man 
I  don't  know  what  has  become  of  him.  And  the  telling  me 
that  did  not  help  me  a  particle,  for  even  now  he  refuses 
to  tell  the  reasons  for  his  suspicion. 

"Well,  it  did  not  take  me  long  to  secure  that  interview. 
Fortunately  I  was  right  there  when  the  message  arrived. 
I  was  at  the  car  inside  of  an  hour.  It  was  at  Clyde.  I 
had  a  most  interesting  conversation  with  Mr.  Craggie, 
which,  as  it  was  in  my  capacity  as  agent  for  Mr.  Craggie, 
I  cannot  divulge.  This  much  I  can  say.  Chambers  has 
been  running  a  blackmailing  scheme  by  means  of  some 
marvelously  powerful  and  accurate  talking  machine  which 
he  had  concealed  in  the  drawer  of  his  desk.  How  long  he 
has  been  taking  down  the  president's  private  conversations 
none  of  us  know.  His  public  ones,  as  we  all  are  perfectly 
aware,  haven't  much  in  them.  And  he,  knowing  full  well 
that  the  secretary's  uncorroborated  word  could  never  harm 


2i4  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

him,  has  been  turning  himself  loose  from  time  to  time.  He 
admitted  as  much.  It  was  that  machine  that  threw  every 
one  of  us  off  the  track.  I  have  never  seen  it ;  and  we  don't 
know  where  it  is ;  but  it  must  be  nearly  perfection ;  for  it 
took  down  what  was  said  while  it  was  inside  a  closed  drawer 
and  while  the  train  was  in  motion — though  that  last  doesn't 
count  for  much,  as  the  president's  car  moves  along  so 
smoothly  that  there  is  scarcely  jolt  or  jar.    Not  like  this  one ! 

"There  seemed  to  be  no  clue  to  how  Chambers  had  done 
his  work  (other  than  his  own  explanation,  which  was  false 
in  every  particular)  until  a  chance  word  of  Mr.  C.  put  me 
on  the  track.    Then  everything  was  clear  as  daylight. 

"Then  I  had  the  secretary  taken  on  a  little  trip  up  the 
country  and  I  investigated  the  car.  I  did  not  find  the 
machine ;  but  I  found  another  bottom  for  the  drawer — 
one  without  any  holes  or  spring — and  something  else.  I 
thought,  then,  that  Chambers  had,  like  is  usual  with  most 
criminals,  carelessly  left  his  trail  open ;  but  I'm  not  so  sure 
about  that  now. 

"Well,  the  next  step  was  to  go  to  the  hotel  where  Cham- 
bers had  spent  that  night.  There  I  found  that  there  were 
at  least  two  persons  who  would  swear  that  a  conversation 
had  been  carried  on  in  Chambers'  room  during  a  great  part 
of  the  night  of  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy.  One  of  them  I 
had  previously  talked  to,  and  it  was  only  because  I  did  not 
then  know  what  Mr.  Craggie  had  to  tell  that  I  lost  the  trail. 
I  found  that  it  was  easy  enough  for  a  man  to  have  entered 
and  left  the  hotel  any  number  of  times  that  night  without 
being  seen.  You  remember,  it  snowed,  and  few  people  are 
on  the  streets  of  Steelton  after  midnight. 

"But  I  had  still  only  proved  Mr.  Craggie's  case.  I  had 
not  helped  ours  a  particle.  I  could  find  no  proof  that  Cham- 
bers had  left  the  hotel,  although  I  was  by  this  time  cer- 
tain that  he  had  gone  out;  for  the  tale  told  by  Mr.  Craggie 
showed  that  he  had  a  motive  sufficient  to  make  him  do  so. 

"It  was  at  this  point  that  I  again  came  to  a  complete 
standstill ;  and,  as  usual  at  such  times,  I  just  walked  up  and 
down  and  waited  for  something  to  turn  up,  or  for  some  new 
thought  on  the  subject.  I  sauntered  into  the  station  at 
Steelton ;  and  the  lieutenant  of  police  who  arrested  John 
Smith  of  Nowhere — as  they  still  call  him — said  that  Smith's 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  215 

sentence  for  the  rioting  would  soon  be  served,  and  asked 
whether  Arndt  intended  to  prosecute  on  the  other  charge. 
I  told  him  that  he  would — so  far  as  I  knew.  Then  the 
officer  said  that  in  that  case  Smith  would  get  a  chance  to 
take  a  trip  to  the  place  he  calls  Nowhere,  and  that  pretty 
soon.  He  explained  that  he  had  heard  from  Clyde — where 
Smith  is  in  the  county  prison — that  he  seems  to  be  dying — 
as  some  of  them  do — simply  because  they  can't  get  used  to 
being  housed  up. 

"Right  there  I  had  another  thought  like  the  one  I  had 
in  the  car,  and  I  boarded  the  next  train  and  visited  Mr. 
Smith. 

"The  smell  of  spring  is  already  in  the  air  and  he  is 
needing  freedom  pretty  badly ;  so,  when  I  stated  my  case, 
which  was  that  if  he  would  tell  who  it  was  that  ran  away 
from  the  Endy  house  on  that  night,  and  prove  what  he  said, 
I  would  guarantee  his  not  being  prosecuted  by  Arndt. 

"I  felt  perfectly  justified  in  making  that  promise, 
although  there  was  no  time  to  consult  with  anyone.  You 
see,  we  really  had  scarcely  enough  evidence  to  hold  him  on 
— in  fact  we  could  not  have  done  it  if  that  had  been  the 
only  charge.  For  he  has  insisted,  from  the  first,  that  what 
he  really  said  was,  He,  not  /.  And  he  put  up  a  plausible 
enough  tale  about  his  knowledge  of  the  affair  by  saying 
that  he  had  been  told  all  about  it,  after  the  occurrence,  by 
a  pal  of  his,  whom  he  would  not  go  back  on. 

"Consequently,  he  has  kept  on  asserting  that  he  would 
prove  an  alibi,  when  the  time  came. 

"Now,  it  appears  that  Chambers  called  at  the  prison  on 
two  occasions  to  see  this  fellow ;  and  in  his  last  talk  with 
me  Smith  again  asserted  the  same  and  refused  to  admit  a 
thing  or  take  advantage  of  my  offer.  He  added :  'I  don't 
mind  saying  that  I  can  prove  by  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Cham- 
bers, Mr.  Craggie's  secretary,  that  I  was  in  his  room  at  the 
hotel  talking  to  him  at  the  very  time  you  say  I  was  making 
an  attack  on  Arndt.    In  fact,  I  was  there  almost  all  night.' 

"I  just  laughed  when  I  heard  that,  and  said,  'Yes!  and 
when  Chambers,  who  has  been  very  kind  to  you  in  other 
ways,  adds  to  his  kindness  by  perjuring  himself  for  you,  and 
when  you  swear  to  the  same  thing,  he  will  have  you  where 
you  cannot  help  shouldering  the  part  of  principal  in  a  neat 


216  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

little  blackmailing-  villainy  of  his  by  which  he  extorted  eight- 
hundred-thousand  dollars  from  president  Craggie.  How 
much  of  that  money  did  you  get  ?' 

"When  he  saw  through  that  he  was  hot,  I  can  assure 
you ;  and  I  then  said,  'Did  you  ever  tell  him  that  you  had 
followed  him  to  his  room?' 

"  'Do  I  want  to  be  put  out  of  the  way  ?'  he  asked. 
'Never  said  a  word  like  that  to  anybody,  yet ;  but  if  you'll 
guarantee  what  you  said,  I'll  tell  all  I  know.' 

"So  I  took  down  his  testimony  and  had  him  swear  to  it. 
And  it  turns  out  that  he  followed  the  man  who  ran  from  the 
house, — the  soft  snow  underfoot  and  the  falling  flakes  mak- 
ing it  perfectly  easy  to  follow  very  close  without  fear  of 
detection, — and  that,  although  the  man  led  him  hither  and 
yon  for  almost  an  hour  he  never  lost  sight  of  him  until  he 
passed  into  the  room  which  he  said  Mr.  Craggie  occupied. 
I  told  him  that  that  would  never  do,  since  Chambers  him- 
self would  corroborate  Mr.  Craggie  in  denying  that.  But 
he  insisted  that  he  had  heard  Mr.  Craggie  speaking  when 
the  man  opened  the  door  and  went  in,  and  that  he  knew 
the  president's  voice  well  enough  to  never  forget  it.  He 
hates  Craggie  more  violently  than  I  thought  a  human  being 
could  hate  any  one.  He  cannot  utter  his  name  without  curs- 
ing— though  in  all  his  other  talk  he  scarcely  uses  an  oath. 
He  says  he  was  formerly  an  employee  of  Craggie's  and  that 
because  he  was  not  deferential  enough  on  one  occasion  the 
president  discharged  him  and  blacklisted  him — reducing 
him  to  poverty  and  his  present  condition.  Of  course,  I  know 
nothing  about  the  truth  or  falsity  of  this." 

"I  can  well  believe  every  word  of  it,"  Robert  asserted. 

"Be  that  as  it  may,  I  must  ask  your  indulgence  for  a 
moment;  for  I  feel  ashamed  of  the  lack  of  success  in  this 
case ;  but  when  a  man  has  to  deal  with  two  rascals  who  are 
good  in  spots  and  who  yet  do  not  mind  lying  or  even  per- 
i  juring  themselves,  that  person  who  is  trying  to  catch  up 
with  them  has  a  hard  row  to  hoe. 

"In  the  very  outset  it  occurred  to  me  that  this  man  might 
have  followed  the  other  one ;  but  even  there  I  was  on  a  false 
scent,  for  I  thought  the  fact  was  that  they  were  confed- 
erates and  that  the  reason  Smith  persisted  in  his  knowing 
nothing  was  because  he  was  standing  true  to  a  pal. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  217 

"During  my  investigation  I  found  out  that  Chambers 
had  been  kind  to  this  man  at  different  times ;  and  then  it 
occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  friendship  for  the  secre- 
tary that  was  influencing  him ;  and  it  was  only  after  my 
assuring  him  that  the  evidence  against  Chambers  was 
already  enough  to  convict  him  of  the  blackmailing  that 
Smith  consented  to  speak  at  all.  If  people  were  bad  all 
through  or  good  all  through,  we  could  get  at  them  easier. 

"Now,  at  the  rate  we  are  traveling,  there  will  be  plenty 
of  time  to  tell  you  everything,  but  if  you  wish  me  to  cut  it 
short,  I  will  do  so." 

"By  no  means,"  said  King.  "We  are  completely  at  the 
mercy  of  one  of  the  tentacles  of  the  Octopus.  We  will 
arrive  at  Steelton  about  sunset — provided  we  don't  break 
down  completely — simply  because  of  the  through  express : 
this  local  will  have  to  be  on  the  side  track  at  that  place,  I 
understand,  in  order  to  let  the  through  express  pass.  Other- 
wise, I  should  not  be  sure  of  arriving  there  tonight." 

Arthur  laughed,  for  he  saw  that  King  was  becoming 
irritated  at  their  delay  at  every  little  station,  and  he  said, 
"Never  travel  to  Steelton  on  the  local  before,  Doctor?" 

"Never,  Sir !  and  never  shall  again." 

"Poor  people  have  to  put  up  with  it  all  the  time,"  said 
Chandler  sententiously ;  "but  go  on  with  your  story,  Mr. 
Arthur." 

"Well,  you  can  see  that  Smith  had  a  motive,  both  times, 
for  trying  to  kill  Arndt.  He  says  that  any  workingman  who 
will  shoot  to  kill  even  the  lowest  hoodlum,  or  will  order 
others  to  do  so,  is  a  traitor  to  his  own  class,  since  most  of 
the  criminal  element  have  been  or  are  the  victims  of  the 
rich.  He  has  it  all  worked  out  in  his  own  mind,  on  the 
anarchistic  theory ;  and  you  ought  to  hear  him  curse  the 
Socialists.  He  hates  them  just  a  little  less  than  he  does 
Craggie. 

"Now,  his  testimony  in  regard  to  hearing  Craggie  speak- 
ing in  the  secretary's  room  fits  in  so  exactly  with  the  talk- 
ing machine  business  that  I  saw  at  once  how  we  had  all 
been  fooled,  simply  by  Chambers  being  smart  enough  to 
wind  that  machine  before  he  started  out  to  attack  Mr.  Endy. 
I  say  wind,  but  in  fact  I  suspect  that  there  is  some  motor 
attached  to  the  affair  to  make  it  run  so  long  as  it  does. 


218  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"As  for  the  motive  for  the  attack,  it  was  to  fasten  the 
guilt  upon  Mr.  Craggie ;  but  in  order  to  explain  that  to  you 
I  would  have  to  tell  you  what  Mr.  Craggie  told  me  in  con- 
fidence. You  can  just  take  my  word  for  it  that  if  Mr. 
Robert  had  not  been  set  upon  by  the  detectives,  Chambers 
would  have  had  the  president  behind  the  bars  on  the  same 
charge, — provided  that  was  what  he  wished.  What  he 
really  was  after  I  don't  pretend  to  know.  Mr.  Craggie  him- 
self is  obliged  to  admit  that  there  are  many  reasons  to  cause 
one  to  conclude  that  it  was  not  money.  This  much  is  sure  : 
he  could  not  foresee  that  Mr.  Robert  was  going  to  be  impli- 
cated at  all.  He  only  intended  to  get  his  chief  completely  in 
his  power.  Afterwards  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  help 
the  way  things  were  going,  without  relaxing  his  hold  on  Mr. 
Craggie.  So  far  as  I  now  know  he  intended  to  let  Mr. 
Robert  suffer  for  the  crime  unless  he  could  control  Mr. 
Craggie  otherwise ;  but  he  insisted  not.  He  expressed  great 
pleasure  at  being  able  to  bear  witness  to  your  innocence, 
Sir." 

Robert's  thoughts  were  evidently  far  away  and  he  made 
no  reply,  so  Arthur  turned  to  the  others  and  continued : 

"I  swore  out  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Chambers. 

"No ;  I  swore  out  only  one.  Mr.  Craggie  will  never 
prosecute  on  his  charge — for  various  reasons. 

"I  knew  that  the  two  men  had  again  taken  to  the  car,  for 
Mr.  Craggie  kept  me  informed  of  his  movements  and  inten- 
tions. He  had  also  taken  the  cook  on  board,  since  he  knew 
that  the  whole  yarn  about  the  conversation's  leaking  out 
through  there  was  a  lie. 

"It  was  about  half  after  ten  this  morning  when  I  boarded 
the  car  at  the  pipe  mills  fifty  miles  beyond  Clyde.  I  waited 
in  the  cook's  room  until  we  were  spinning  along  at  a  clipping 
rate,  and  I  had  to  hold  a  revolver  at  the  cook's  head  to  keep 
him  from  giving  warning.  As  soon  as  I  felt  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  Chambers  to  jump  from  the  train  (for  I 
could  not  look  for  much  help  from  Craggie)  I  stepped  out. 

"When  I  opened  the  door  I  expected  to  have  to  make 
a  rush  for  Chambers  and  would  not  have  been  a  particle 
surprised  to  have  heard  the  hum  of  bullets  coming  my 
way,  for  I  was  obliged  to  go  in  facing  him.  Rut  as  soon 
as  he  caught  sight  of  me  he  arose,  quietly,  and  said,  'How 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  219 

do  you  do,  Mr.  Arthur?  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you.  There 
is  no  need  to  state  your  errand.  I  was  really  becoming  anx- 
ious lest  even  the  smartest  detective  in  the  United  States — 
or  perhaps  in  the  world — was  not  going  to  be  able  to  pick  up 
any  of  the  clues  I  have  been  throwing  about  all  over  the 
country.' 

"Here  he  held  out  his  hand,  and  he  is  such  a  gentle- 
manly fellow  that  before  I  knew  it  I  found  myself  shaking 
hands  with  him ;  and  that  made  Craggie  mad,  and  he  began 
to  taunt  him  and  sneer  at  him.  I  brought  that  to  a  close, 
for  Chambers  turned  to  me  and  smilingly  said,  'Don't  you 
usually  protect  your  prisoners,  Mr.  Arthur?  Don't  you 
know  that  words  are  sharper  than  knives  ?T 

"  'Gods !'  cried  Craggie,  T  wish  you  had  remembered  that 
before.' 

"  T  have  never  forgotten  it  for  a  moment  during  the  last 
four  months,  Mr.  President,  and  very  infrequently  during 
the  preceding  fifteen  years,'  said  he  coolly." 

"That  man  is  a  jewel  of  a  knave.  What  a  pity  that  we 
live  under  a  system  that  perverts  such  abilities  as  he  and  men 
like  him  possess,"  said  King  meditatively. 

Arthur  continued :  "True !  If  we  could  have  made  an 
honest  man  out  of  him  I  would  have  been  thankful  to  have 
taken  him  into  partnership.  The  two  of  us  could  have  run 
down  any  rogue  that  ever  lived,  I  believe." 

And  then  after  a  pause  he  said,  "I  shall  never  forget  that 
ride !  He  asked  to  see  the  warrant,  and  when  he  noted  that 
it  was  not  for  the  blackmailing  affair  he  laughed  until  I 
thought  he  would  never  stop. 

"  'Well !  Well !  !  You  are  certainly  a  clever  detective ; 
but  I  don't  think  much  of  the  courage  of  Mr.  Craggie.  Why 
is  not  the  other  charge  pressed,  Mr.  President?  Of  course, 
you  could  not  get  the  money  again,  for  it  is  spent ;  but  I 
should  have  thought  that  you  would  like  to  have  your  re- 
venge. You  know  that  Mr.  Endy  did  not  die,  and  I  can  be 
prosecuted  only  for  assault  with  intent  to  murder;  and  a 
clever  lawyer  such  as  I  will  be  certain  to  retain,  will  make  it 
only  burglary.  Mr.  Endy  recollects  nothing,  and  you  have 
never  found  the  instrument  with  which  he  was  struck.' 
And  then  he  proceeded  to  badger  Mr.  Craggie  in  a  style  that 
I  could  have  enjoyed  had  he  been  any  other  man's  prisoner. 


220  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

So  I  told  him  that  what  was  sauce  for  the  goose,  and  so 
forth. 

"He  smiled  as  he  paid  me  another  compliment  and  said, 
'How  do  you  propose  to  make  me  stop,  Mr.  Arthur.  Do 
you  contemplate  gagging  me  ?' 

"  'I  propose  to  ask  you  as  a  personal  favor  to  not  make 
this  ride  any  more  uncomfortable  than  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary,' said  I. 

"  'You  are  a  gentleman,  Sir,  and  I  take  pleasure  in  con- 
versing with  you,'  and  he  turned  his  back  on  Mr.  Craggie ; 
and  such  a  talk  as  I  listened  to  for  the  rest  of  the  journey 
it  has  never  before  been  my  privilege  to  enjoy.  He  had 
men,  women,  literature  and  art  at  his  tongue's  end;  and  a 
golden  tongue  it  was. 

"At  last  he  glanced  out  of  the  window  and  said,  'Yes ; 
we  are  nearing  Clyde,  and  I  will  have  to  deny  myself  the 
pleasure  of  further  conversation,  at  present — and  the  place  to 
which  I  am  going  is  not  supposed  to  be  very  attractive  to 
visitors.' 

"  'I  shall  take  pleasure  in  coming  to  see  you,'  said  I. 
'How  in  the  world  did  you  ever  find  time  to  keep  so  well  up 
with  things?' 

"  'Don't  make  rash  promises ;  remember  with  what  I 
stand  charged.  I  thank  you  for  your  courteous  offer — but 
I  could  not  wish  to  see  you,  there,  even  as  a  visitor.  As  to 
your  question :  A  man  that  remembers  whatever  he  hears 
and  whatever  his  eye  once  rests  upon — be  it  animate  or  inani- 
mate— soon  acquires  a  stock  of  information  in  spite  of  him- 
self. I  had  a  remarkable  memory  even  as  a  child ;  and  I 
have  strengthened  it — for  a  purpose  that  knows  no  yield- 
ing— until  nothing  escapes  me.  Let  me  show  you.  And 
he  reached  to  the  table  and  picked,  at  random,  out  of  a  pile 
of  unopened  mail  a  book  which  he  hastily  unpacked,  and  he 
then  read  the  first  three  pages  rapidly.  Then  he  handed  it 
to  me,  saying,  'Test  me,  please.  On  my  word  of  honor  as  a 
gentleman,  it  is  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  a  word  of  it.' 

"And  gentlemen,  he  repeated  those  three  pages  ver- 
batim. 

"  'How  do  you  ever  do  it!'  I  exclaimed. 

"  'Oh,  that  one  was  particularly  easy,  because  I  am  in- 
terested in  political  economy.     You  would  testify  as  to  my 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  221 

ability  to  remember  and  repeat  accurately,  would  you  not, 
Mr.  Arthur?' 

"  'I  certainly  would,'  said  I,  'and  with  pleasure,  if  you 
needed  it.' 

"  'Thank  you,  Sir;  but  then,  really,  you  have  no  idea  of 
what  I  can  do  when  I  put  myself  to  it,  for  those  subjects  on 
which  we  conversed  have  been  the  recreation  of  a  very  busy, 
and  not  altogether  useless  life.' 

"  'Worse  than  useless!'  interposed  Mr.  Craggie. 

"Chambers  paid  no  more  attention  to  him  than  if  he  had 
not  spoken. 

"Turning  to  me  from  looking  out  of  the  window  he  said, 
'I  believe  that  I  will  light  a  cigar.  These,'  as  he  opened  his 
cigar  case,  'are  the  brand  I  like  best;  but  Mr.  Craggie  objects 
to  them,  so,  on  second  thought,  I  will  fill  the  other  side  of 
the  case  from  his  box  to  remember  him  by,  and  will  smoke 
one  of  them — so  as  not  to  disoblige  him,  at  the  last.' 

"Clyde  was  near  at  hand — we  were  running  in  very  slow- 
ly, being  in  the  rear  of  the  local — and  the  president  pushed 
the  box  towards  me,  saying,  'Help  yourself,  Mr.  Arthur.' 

"I  accepted  and  lit  a  cigar  and  Chambers  lit  his  from 
mine,  and  then  said  very  seriously,  'Really,  I  would  not  ad- 
vise you  to  gamble  with  Fate  as  I  do ;  for,  though  life  is  a 
disease  of  which  sleep  relieves  us ;  it  is  but  a  palliative ; 
death  is  the  remedy — as  Chamfort  says.' 

"  'What  do  you  mean?'  said  I. 

"  'Simply  that  Mr.  Craggie  has  not  enjoyed  my  society 
lately,  and  I  have  been  gratifying  my  love  of  gambling  by 
smoking  his  cigars.' 

"'Gambling?'  said  I. 

"  'Neither  more  nor  less,'  he  replied  seriously.  'Giandler 
remarked  just  the  other  day  that  I  was  getting  very  thin  and 
even  more  pale  than  usual ;  and  it  is  all  through  anxiety  as  to 
whether  any  of  those  cigars  will  eventually  permanently  dis- 
agree with  me.' 

"He  was  smoking  very  rapidly  and  did  not  even  take  the 
cigar  from  between  his  lips  when  he  said.  T  wash  to  thank 
you,  Mr.  Arthur,  for  the  kindly  way  in  which  you  have  made 
pleasant  a  most  trying  episode.  There  is  the  depot  of  Clyde 
in  sight !  It  is  a  beautiful  country,  this !  I  want  you  to 
take  notice  that  I  acknowledge  my  guilt  on  both  charges, 


222  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

though  you  prefer  only  one.  On  further  consideration  I 
have  decided  to  cheat  the  lawyers  out  of  a  fat  fee ;  I  shall 
make  no  defense.' 

"  'Be  careful,'  said  I.  'Whatever  you  say  I  shall  have  to 
use  against  you.' 

"He  continued  to  smoke  very  fast,  and  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  my  warning. 

"  'I  have  had  an  exceedingly  pleasant  time  the  last  three 
months  and  more,  in  Mr.  Craggie's  society.  I've  been  a  sort 
of  big  fish  myself,  you  know;  and  I've  enjoyed  that  almost 
as  much  as  my  friend,  the  President,  does.' 

"Turning  to  him  he  said,  'Sir,  I  hand  you  a  communica- 
tion which  you  will  find  of  the  utmost  interest;'  and  as  Mr. 
Craggie  took  it  from  his  hand  he  said,  'Good-bye,  Sir,  I  shall 
be  pleased  to  see  you  whither  I  am  going.' 

"Mr.  Craggie  immediately  tore  open  the  envelope  and 
Chambers  turned  to  me  and  after  an  instant's  pause  said, 
'Here  is  my  confession  in  writing.  You  may  need  it  to  set 
young  Endy  free  at  once.  Tell  him  that  I  would  never 
have  seen  him  actually  convicted  of  the  crime — even  though 
I  did  spirit  his  witnesses  out  of  his  reach.  I  have  carried 
that  confession  about  with  me  ever  since  the  day  of  his 
arrest.      I  am  truly  thankful  that  Mr.  Endy  did  not ' 

"He  stopped ;  the  cigar  fell  from  his  lips ;  and,  as  Mr. 
Craggie  dropped  the  paper  he  was  still  holding  unread  while 
he  listened,  he,  Craggie,  almost  screamed,  'Poisoned,  by 
Jove!'  and  Chambers  fell  forward. 

"I  caught  him  and  laid  him  on  the  floor  of  the  car 

"He  was  dead." 


CHAPTER  XX. 


great  Caesar  fell. 


Oh,  what  a  fall  was  there,  my  countrymen !" 

— Shakespeare. 

The  exclamation  of  horror  which  sprang  from  the  lips 
of  Robert  Endy  caused  the  detective  to  pause  in  his  narra- 
tive, and  he  wiped  his  face  vigorously — the  while  remarking 
that  the  car  was  very  warm.  It  was  a  fact;  but  it  was 
mostly  his  eyes  that  he  wiped. 

Robert's  thoughts  had  been  so  completely  with  his  father 
that  although  he  heard  the  detective's  words  their  meaning 
did  not  make  a  very  clear  impression  on  his  brain,  and  the 
last  statements  had  therefore  taken  him  somewhat  by  sur- 
prise. 

He  could  see  that  to  King  and  Chandler  the  death  of 
Chambers  was  no  news.  After  a  moment  he  said,  "And  so 
he  has  paid  the  penalty  of  his  crime.  My  friends,  I  thank 
you  that  you  did  not  mar  the  joy  of  the  moment  of  my  de- 
liverance with  such  news.  Well,  well !  And  so  it  was 
Chambers !  Now,  I  think  of  it  he  had  black  hair ;  but  I 
never  once  suspected  him." 

"Yes,"  said  Arthur,  ''and  it  matches  the  sample  a  great 
deal  better  than  Mr.  Endy's  does,  but  still  it  doesn't  match. 
I  tell  you,  there  is  black  hair  and  black  hair.  I  had  just 
come  from  an  interview  with  you,  when  I  first  saw  those 
hairs ;  and  I  never  even  took  the  trouble  to  make  any  closer 
comparison  than  that.  But  don't  think  that  I  did  not  ex- 
amine Chambers'  hair — months  ago.  It  will  be  after  today 
when  we  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  hair  business." 

"He  had  on  a  wig,"  said  Chandler  positively. 

Arthur  smiled  as  he  said  emphatically.  "Wrong  again ! 
Just  as  I  was.  The  hair  was  fresh,  and  not  dead,  and  had 
been  pulled  out  by  the  roots.  It  was  a  long  time  before  I 
could  get  any  of  Mr.  Craggie's  hair  to  examine ;  but  when 
I  did  I  would  immediately  have  had  him  arrested  as  the 

223 


224  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

guilty  party  had  I  not  previously  found  out  certain  things 
that  make  it  physically  impossible  for  it  to  have  been  him. 
On  that  night,  snow  fell  from  shortly  after  twelve  until 
nearly  three.  There  were  no  footmarks  towards  the  door  in 
the  snow  on  the  car  platform  or  steps,  nor  about  the  car  the 
next  morning.  There  were  some  coming  out — they  were  a 
woman's.    I  have  the  measure  of  them." 

"And  yet,  you  say !    Why  how  in  the  world?"  said 

King. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Arthur,  "but  I'm  going  to  keep  on 
trying  until  I  find  out.  And  there  are  some  more  things 
in  this  case  that  I  don't  yet  know.  I  must  find  out  what  be- 
came of  our  witnesses." 

Robert  had  become  interested  and  King  was  glad  to 
notice  it,  and  said,  "Hurry,  Mr.  Arthur,  at  least  tell  us  all 
that  you  know." 

"Well,  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  throw  the  nearest 
window  wide  open ;  then  I  stooped  to  pick  up  the  remainder 
of  the  cigar,  and  as  I  did  so  I  noticed  the  paper  Mr.  Craggie 
had  not  yet  unfolded  lying  there  close  by  the  cigar,  and  I 
picked  both  of  them  up  and  handed  the  paper  to  Mr.  Craggie 
and  carefully  placed  the  cigar  in  the  case  which  I  drew  from 
the  dead  man's  pocket. 

"No ;  he  had  not  substituted  one  of  his  cigars !  His  are 
short,  thick,  very  black  ones ;  and  that  side  of  the  case  is  still 
full,  and  the  only  vacant  space  in  the  case,  when  I  opened  it, 
was  just  where  I  had  seen  him  place  a  cigar  from  Craggie's 
box,  and  then — on  second  thought — take  it  out  again,  light 
and  smoke  it. 

"His  words  kept  ringing  in  my  ears  until,  in  spite  of  my- 
self, I  threw  the  remainder  of  my  cigar  out  of  the  window. 

"As  I  did  this  Mr.  Craggie — who  had  been  standing  as 
though  rooted  to  the  spot — seemed  to  come  to  himself,  and 
he  replaced  the  paper  in  the  envelope  which  he  still  held  and 
put  them  in  his  pocket. 

"Then  he  said  sharply,  'What  did  you  do  that  for?' 

"  'Couldn't  help  it,'  said  I.  'Chambers  was  smoking  one 
of  yours  when  he  died.' 

"  'Why,  you  certainly  are  not  fool  enough  to  believe  that 
man's  crazy  talk.  Why,  he  poisoned  himself  to  escape  hang- 
ing.' 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  225 

"Mr.  Craggie  stopped  right  there.  In  fact,  the  last 
syllable  was  only  a  gurgle  in  his  throat;  and  then  he  cried 
out,  'Great  God !  and  his  life  was  not  even  in  danger.' 

"I  had  been  watching  his  face  closely  and  I  then  said: 
'Now,  I  think  that  you  are  an  innocent  man — this  time ;  but 
I'll  tell  you  candidly  that  innocence  don't  always  save  a 
man — as  you  ought  to  know.  If  you  will  look  back  over  the 
past  four  months  you  will  see  that  things  look  black  for 
you.  If  Chambers  has  been  expressing  fears  for  his  life  to 
people  in  general  as  he  did  to  me,  and  if  there  are  others 
who  know  that  you  had  a  reason  for  getting  rid  of  him  and 
his  testimony,  I  am  going  to  have  a  hard  time  clearing  you. 
My  advice  to  you  is  to  say  absolutely  nothing  until  I  or  your 
counsel  give  you  the  word.' 

"And  then  I  examined  the  other  pockets  in  Chambers' 
clothing,  and  in  one  of  them  I  found  a  certain  power  of  at- 
torney whose  wording  showed  at  once  that  others  held  just 
that  information.  And  when  I  showed  this  to  Mr.  Craggie 
— Well,  gentlemen,  I  have  no  words  to  describe  the  effect  on 
that  proud  and  overbearing  man.  He  pleaded  with  me  to  save 
him.  He  promised  half  his  wealth.  He  kept  repeating 
over  and  over  again :  'My  God !  My  God !  why  was  he  so 
bitter  towards  me.  I  always  treated  him  as  well  as  I  did 
anybody.' 

"At  last  I  said,  'If  we  knew  his  motive  we  would  prob- 
ably solve  the  whole  affair.  You  rich  men  don't  seem  to 
realize  that  the  way  you  are  carrying  on  is  liable  to ' 

"But  right  there  I  came  to  a  stop. 

"The  car  had  been  shifted  to  the  siding  where  it  usually 
stands,  and  we  had  been  so  taken  up  with  our  own  affairs 
that  we  had  not  noticed  the  black  cook  when  he  leaped  from 
it  before  it  came  to  a  standstill. 

"As  soon  as  he  touched  the  ground  he  cried  to  the  con- 
ductor and  engineer,  'Good  God,  men !  Mr.  Chambers  has 
been  murdered  by  that  old  devil  in  there.' 

"All  of  these  men  were  attached  to  Chambers ;  and  when 
we  realized  what  was  going  on  we  were  brought  to  our 
senses  with  a  jar,  for  the  train  was  surrounded  by  a  howl- 
ing mob,  crying.  'Lynch  Craggie !'  and  so  forth. 

"I  had  scarcely  time  to  push  him  into  the  cook's  room — ■ 
which  was  the  only  place  that  could  be  defended — when,  as 


226  THE  RECORDING  AXGEL 

I  faced  about — with  a  gun  in  each  hand — I  found  that  the 
conductor  and  engineer  were  coming  into  the  car.  I  had 
had  no  time  to  lock  the  door.  When  they  saw  Chambers 
lying  there  the  tears  rolled  down  their  faces  and  they 
cried  to  those  outside,  'It  is  true.  He  is  dead!'  and  I  do  not 
wonder  that  Mr.  Craggie  cowered  into  the  remotest  corner 
when  he  heard  the  screams  and  execrations  of  the  crowd. 
I  have  faced  mobs  before,  but  may  God  Almighty  save  me 
from  ever  confronting  such  another  one.  There  was  not  a 
hoodlum  or  a  tramp  in  that  crowd.  It  was  largely  made  up 
of  the  passengers  who  had  been  waiting  for  the  next  train, 
and  the  railroad  employes. 

"After  gazing  at  Chambers  for  several  minutes  the  men 
turned  to  search  for  the  president.  Rocks  and  some  bullets 
had  smashed  every  window  in  the  car.  Mr.  Craggie  had 
been  hit  more  than  once  by  the  rocks,  but  at  that  point  the 
man  who  used  to  be  telegraph  operator  at  Steelton,  Fred 
Paisley,  by  name,  sprang  on  to  the  car  steps  with  a  rope  in 
his  hand  all  ready  looped  and  knotted,  and  cried,  'Stop  that 
firing ;  you  might  kill  him.  Bullets  are  too  good  for  Crag- 
gie— here's  the  rope  to  finish  him !' 

"They  stopped  to  listen  to  him  and  he  said,  T  used  to  hate 
Chambers ;  thought  he  caused  me  to  lose  my  job  and  had  me 
blacklisted — I  found  out  the  other  day  who  it  was  that  has 
been  keeping  me  and  my  family  from  want.  It  was  Archi- 
bald Chambers.     Death  to  the  man  that  killed  him !' 

"I  began  to  think  that  my  own  time  was  getting  pretty 
close,  for  I  don't  usually  abandon  an  employer.  The  con- 
ductor and  engineer  saw  me  standing  there,  as  soon  as  they 
turned.  At  the  same  instant  I  called  to  them  to  throw  up 
their  hands  and  said  I  would  shoot  the  first  man  that  came 
towards  me.  I  tried  to  argue  with  them.  I  told  them  that 
Mr.  Craggie  was  my  prisoner  and  that  I  proposed  to  hand 
him  over  to  the  authorities.  Nothing  did  a  bit  of  good.  I 
suppose  there  would  have  been  but  one  termination  to  the 
affair  if  some  one  at  the  station  had  not  telephoned  for 
Jones,  and  while  I  was  still  arguing  he  came  on  the  scene. 
I  don't  know  how  Jones  does  it ;  he  didn't  have  a  single 
deputy  with  him  ;  he  didn't  apply  to  the  governor  for  troops 
— but  the  fact  remains  that  he  made  his  way  through  the 
crowd  to  my  side  and  had  the  engineer  and  conductor  dep- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  227 

utized  and  persuaded  to  help  us  keep  the  peace,  in  a  few 
minutes.  The  man  is  absolutely  fearless,  for  one  thing;  but 
i  think  that  I  am  not  much  of  a  coward,  and  I  could  do  noth- 
ing. 

"Of  course,  it  wasn't  pleasant  for  Mr.  Craggie  to  face  the 
crowd ;  but  it  had  to  be  done ;  and  I  am  free  to  confess  that 
they  hustled  him  about  considerable  before  we  reached  the 
prison  van,  which  was  drawn  up  as  close  to  the  car  as  the 
mob  would  let  it  come.  That  was  the  only  time  that  Jones 
drew  his  gun ;  but  when  he  did,  he  used  it.  Just  as  he 
was  pushing  Craggie  up  the  steps  of  the  van  the  ex-operator, 
Paisley,  who  still  held  the  rope,  slipped  up  and  dexterously 
threw  it  over  the  prisoner's  head.  He  pulled  vigorously  on 
it  and  cried  to  the  others :  'Catch  hold,  boys — we'll  have  him 
in  spite  of  Jones.     Jones  has  sold  out  to  the  millionaires.' 

"That  word  was  his  last ;  and  the  rope  was  off  of  Mr. 
Craggie  before  he  took  another  step.  The  sight  of  the  dead 
man  cooled  the  courage  of  the  mob,  and  we  drove  off  at  full 
speed.  Then  the  prisoner  was  soon  behind  bars  and  stood 
committed  for  trial.  For  the  magistrate  refused  him  bail 
when  he  learned  that  Chandler  and  the  engineer  and  the  cook 
and  the  conductor — to  say  nothing  of  myself — all  had  heard 
the  dead  man  express  fears  for  his  safety;  and  when  I  was 
obliged  to  say  that  Chambers  had  told  me  of  those  fears  in 
the  presence  of  the  prisoner  not  five  minutes  previous  to  his 
death,  and  that  the  cigar,  which  I  suppose  was  the  direct 
cause  of  his  death,  had  been,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  taken 
out  of  Mr.  Craggie's  box,  the  magistrate — who  usually  knows 
which  way  the  popular  wind  is  blowing — would  not.  listen  to 
my  supposition  that  Chambers  himself  had  placed  it  there, 
(for  that's  the  way  I  interpret  Chambers'  talk  about  gamb- 
ling) but  said,  'That  will  do,  gentlemen.  This  court  does 
not  need  any  more  testimony.  Committed  without  bail.' " 
"That's  the  end  of  Jones'  popularity,  mark  my  words !" 
said  Chandler. 

"Watch  for  the  reaction  against  Socialism,"  said  Arthur. 
The  train  at  this  moment  pulled  up  at  a  station  twenty 
miles  from  Steelton,  and  the  usual  tinkering  with  hot  boxes 
commenced.  The  four  men  were  nearly  wild  with  impa- 
tience. Arthur  left  the  car  and  went  into  the  telegraph 
office  and  wired  to  Arndt,  and  in  a  few  moments  Arndt  re- 


228  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

plied :  "My  God,  man  !  Are  you  that  far  away  yet?  Thought 
you  were  coming  on  a  special.  Carriage  is  waiting  at  the 
depot  for  you  now.     Hurry,  I  tell  you,  hurry." 

Arthur  did  not  show  the  telegram.  He  went  to  the  engi- 
neer— an  old  acquaintance  of  his — and  said:  "Introduce  me 
to  that  conductor  of  yours,  will  you.  There  is  a  thousand 
dollars  in  it  for  you  and  him  if  you  will  drop  those  two 
cranky  coaches  on  the  siding,  put  all  the  passengers  in  ours, 
(which  hasn't  had  but  four  men  in  it  the  whole  trip),  and 
land  us  in  Steelton  just  as  fast  as  this  engine  can  get  there.'" 

Seeing  that  the  man  was  wavering  Arthur  added,  "You 
don't  need  any  orders  from  headquarters — all  you  have  to  do 
is  to  try  to  make  up  some  of  that  lost  time ;  you  are  now 
way  behind  the  schedule,  you  know," 

The  engineer  hesitated  and  finally  said,  "Sorry  I  can't 
oblige  you,  but  you  know  the  rides.  Much  as  a  man's  job 
is  worth  to  think  for  himself  and  use  ordinary  good  judg- 
ment, these  days.  So  far  as  a  clear  track,  you  are  right 
enough,  for  we  are  on  number  four — (formerly  for  freight 
— not  much  freight  from  Steelton  these  days) — and  they've 
put  us  over  here  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  through  ex- 
press. No;  it  isn't  right  of  way  that  is  the  matter,  but  it's 
the  dropping  of  those  coaches,  you  see.  Blacklist  is  a  pretty 
tough  proposition,  you  know." 

Arthur  replied  by  handing  him  the  telegram,  at  the  same 
time  saying,  "Mr.  Endy's  son  is  in  that  car — going  home  to 
his  father." 

"Come  along!  Come  along!"  said  the  engineer,  starting 
toward  trie  conductor,  "I  thought  the  old  gent  was  all  right 
again." 

Arthur  said,  "So  we  all  thought.  Something  must  have 
gone  wrong  today." 

After  a  few  moments'  conference  the  conductor  said,  "If 
all  of  you  gentlemen  will  agree  to  bear  me  out  in  my  state- 
ment as  to  the  dangerous  condition  of  those  forward  coaches 
I  will  drop  them.  I  am  much  obliged  for  your  offer,  Mr. 
Arthur;  but  I  don't  want  a  penny  in  such  a  case;  if  we  get 
fired  it  will  be  in  a  good  cause." 

So  they  went  to  the  others  and  stated  the  case,  and  in  a 
few  moments  they  were  traveling  at  a  fairly  satisfactory- 
rate  of  speed  towards  Steelton. 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  229 

While  the  change  was  being  made  Arthur  wired  Arndt : 
"Could  not  get  a  special.  Twenty  miles  away.  Are  com- 
ing on  with  but  one  coach.  May  be  with  you  in  thirty 
minutes." 

All  the  party  were  much  cheered  when  they  felt  the  swift 
onward  movement  of  the  train.  Even  this  car  was  not  filled, 
for  everybody  seemed  to  be  going  toward  Clyde.  The  trains 
that  sped  by  them  on  the  regular  passenger  track  were 
all  crowded,  and  from  the  number  of  them  that  went  by  it 
could  easily  be  seen  that  extras  were  being  run.  Arthur  had 
noticed  this,  but  Robert  now  did  for  the  first  time,  and  he 
said,  "So  Mr.  Craggie  is  having  a  chance  to  find  out  how  an 
innocent  man  feels  in  prison — for  I  presume  that  he  is  inno- 
cent. But  it  may  be  that  he  will  be  very  glad  that  the  walls 
are  thick  and  that  Jones  has  him  in  charge,  before  morning. 
Did  you  notice  how  crowded  that  last  car  was  that  passed  us 
now  ?" 

Arthur  replied :  "Yes ;  and  so  were  all  the  others ;  and  so 
was  every  train  that  has  passed  us  this  afternoon.  As  to  his 
innocence,  I  thought  so  and  I  hope  so ;  but  Chandler  told  me 
some  things  that  are  troubling  me  mightily.  As  to  the  moral 
guilt  I  think,  from  what  I  have  learned  since  this  strike  com- 
menced, that  he  is  many  times  a  murderer.  I  am  going  back 
tomorrow  to  consult  with  him,  and " 

An  exclamation  burst  from  King:  "Didn't  you  know  it! 
I  thought  you  were  concealing  it  from  Endy !  Mr.  Craggie 
is  dead." 

Each  looked  at  the  others  in  speechless  amazement,  and 
finally  King  resumed:  "I  was  just  stepping  into  my  carriage, 
intending  to  catch  the  two-thirty  express  for  Steelton  when  I 
was  called  to  the  magistrate's  office  to  attend  a  dying  man. 
What  they  sent  for  me  for  I  don't  know ;  for  he  had  shot 
himself  in  the  mouth  and  blown  the  top  of  his  head  most  off. 
Why  will  people  kill  themselves  in  such  horrible  ways! 
There  was  not  a  thing  for  anybody  to  do;  so  when  I  got 
there — knowing  that  I  had  missed  the  express — I  asked  for 
particulars.  You  must  have  started  from  there  as  soon  as 
he  gave  his  corroborating  testimony  in  regard  to  Chambers' 
confession  of  Endy's  innocence." 

"Yes,"  said  both  Arthur  and  Chandler,  and  the  latter 
added,  "We  had  to  go  through  with  the  red  tape  business 


230  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

necessary  to  liberate  a  falsely  imprisoned  and  perfectly  in- 
nocent man,  you  know." 

"Miserable  farce!"  said  King,  "that's  my  opinion  of  the 
law — as  we  have  it  today.  Well,  as  soon  as  he  was  com- 
mitted for  trial,  and  while  waiting  for  the  prison  van  to 
arrive — or  something  else — he  took  from  his  pocket  a  letter 
addressed  to  him  by  Chambers.  He  laid  the  envelope  on 
the  desk  in  front  of  him,  read  the  letter  and  then  slowly 
tore  it  into  minute  fragments  and  dropped  wad  after  wad  of 
them  into  the  reeking  cuspidor  into  which  the  policeman 
who  had  him  in  charge  was  expectorating  mouthful  after 
mouthful  of  tobacco  juice.  He  seemed  to  be  so  unconcerned 
that  no  one  thought  to  stop  him,  and  he  smiled  every  time  a 
lot  of  the  pieces  were  engulfed  in  the  filth.  Almost  every- 
body had  drawn  away  from  him ;  and  when  the  last  of  the 
letter  had  disappeared  from  sight  he  requested  the  officer  to 
get  him  some  water  to  drink.  The  man  was  not  ten  feet 
away  from  him  before  Mr.  Craggie  was  dead." 

"In  God's  name !"  said  Arthur,  "what  could  have  been 
on  that  paper?  Mr.  Craggie  said  to  me  while  we  were 
standing  over  the  body  of  Chambers,  T  wonder  why  he  was 
so  bitter  towards  me.'  And  my  guess  is  that  he  had  found 
out." 

"The  country  is  well  rid  of  both  of  them,  I  think,"  said 
Chandler. 

"Not  much  choice  between  Mr.  Craggie  and  Martinvale 
or  some  of  the  others  who  are  likely  to  succeeed  them  in 
running  things,"  said  Robert — "but  here  we  are  at  Steel- 
ton  !" 

And  without  waiting  for  the  train  to  stop  completely 
Robert  sprang  from  the  car  and  grasped  old  Rollins  by  the 
hand,  with  the  single  word  "Father?"  on  his  lips. 

And  Rollins,  not  knowing  of  his  ignorance,  said  bluntly, 
"Still  alive,  Sir;  but  sinking  fast." 

Arthur  was  by  this  time  at  Robert's  side  and  supported 
him  when  he  staggered  under  the  blow.  In  another  moment 
Robert  had  regained  control  of  himself  and  sprang  on  the 
back  of  Arndt's  pet,  which  he  had  recognized  as  he  left  the 
car;  and  then  the  mud  of  Steelton's  streets  was  sent  to  right 
and  left  under  the  rhythmic  blows  of  willing,  speeding  feet 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  231 

— and  Robert  was  out  of  sight  before  his  companions  could 
enter  the  carriage  which  stood  waiting  for  them. 

In  Clyde  there  was  neither  mud  nor  sleet.  In  Steelton 
the  depth  of  the  mixture  made  traveling  slow. 

When  they  were  fairly  started  Arthur  said:  "Man  prcv- 
poses !  I  worked  like  a  beaver  to  get  Chambers  arrested  in 
time  to  let  Robert  get  home  on  the  day  of  the  meeting;  for 
his  father  assured  me  that  it  would  lack  only  that  of  being 
the  proudest  and  happiest  day  of  his  life.  He  had  not  a 
doubt  of  his  plan  being  accepted." 

"Do  not  upbraid  yourself,"  said  King.  "Had  you  any- 
thing to  do  with  the  guilt  of  any  of  the  others  ?  Suppose 
that  Robert  were  still  in  prison?  My  idea  is  that  if  his 
father  is  as  low  as  that,  he  would  now  be  dead  were  it  not 
for  the  sustaining  hope  you  gave  him  of  seeing  his  son 
again.  And  great  and  small,  and  high  and  low,  are  instru- 
ments of  HIS." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"For,  Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary." 

— Longfellow. 

On  this  same  day,  as  Arndt  turned  to  hasten  to  Mr. 
Endy's  room  he  confronted  Kenedy  who  had  been  admitted 
at  the  side  door. 

He  immediately  showed  him  the  telegram  from  Arthur, 
and  his  face  was  very  pleasant  to  look  at,  for  the  joy  on  it 
was  genuine,  as  he  said,  "I  tell  you,  Doc,  this  arrives  in  the 
nick  of  time.  Mr.  Endy  took  the  acceptance  of  his  plan 
much  harder  than  I  feared  he  would  its  rejection.  I  think 
he  had  braced  himself  for  its  rejection ;  but  when  in  his  con- 
versation before  dinner  with  Martinvale  and  others  he  found 
that  the  pension  plan  which,  on  account  of  its  liberality,  was 
what  he  feared  would  be  the  great  stumbling  block,  was  not 
strenuously  objected  to — he  took  heart  and  talked  enthusias- 
tically of  the  future,  and  a  great  deal  too  much. 

"I  warned  and  warned  him ;  but  you  know  his  favorite 
saying:  'A  man's  immortal  till  his  work  is  done' — and  once 
he  added  playfully,  'And  don't  you  know,  my  boy,  I've  got  a 
lifetime  of  work  ahead,  to  put  this  plan  in  successful  opera- 
tion ?' 

"I  had  not  the  heart  to  tell  him  that  several  of  them  had 
said  plainly  to  me — supposing  that  I  was  no  longer  a  work- 
ing man — for  it  has  been  told  everywhere  recently  that  I  am 
soon  to  marry  a  rich  woman — that  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty' in  keeping  the  amount  paid  out  under  the  pension  sec- 
tion very  small,  simply  by  discharging  the  men  on  one  pre- 
text or  another  before  they  became  eligible  under  the  time 
limit. 

"I  tell  you,  Doc,  I  was  converted  to  Socialism  right  at  the 
moment  when  Martinvale  himself  had  the  audacity  to  tell  me 
that.  He  is  shrewd.  He  supposed  that  I  would  hear  it  being 
talked,  sooner  or  later,  and  so  he  closed  my  mouth  by  tell- 
ing it  to  me  himself.  Of  course,  now,  I  cannot  repeat  it  in 
public. 

232 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  233 

"And  if  you  could  have  heard  the  way  they  figured  and 
cut  on  each  proposition  that  would  make  it  easier  for  a 
workingman  to  accumulate  anything,  I  think  that  I  would 
not  have  much  trouble  in  converting  you  either." 

They  were  by  this  time  standing  outside  of  Mr.  Endy's 
door  and  could  hear  Nettie  and  Annie  talking  to  him,  and 
Kenedy  said  bluntly :  "You'll  never  do  it,  Charlie — never  in 
this  world !  Your  sister  completed  the  work  long  ago,"  and 
then  he  held  out  his  hand  and  said  cordially,  "Shake,  Com- 
rade." 

Mr.  Endy  heard  their  voices  and  called  eagerly,  "Charles, 
Charles,  come  quickly.     I  need  you  at  once." 

Kenedy,  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  voice,  knew  that  a  great 
change  had  occurred,  and  he  whispered  to  Arndt  as  he  re- 
turned the  telegram,  "Not  till  I  give  you  the  word!" 

As  soon  as  they  entered  Mr.  Endy  called  out,  "Come, 
come,  my  dear  boy,  I  must  have  a  new  will  drawn  up  at 
once.  The  strike  is  about  over;  and  what  is  left  of  the 
estate  must  be  willed  to  Robert  unconditionally.  I  must 
give  him  that  last  proof  that  I  trust  him  fully.  Get  me  pen, 
ink  and  paper.  I  will  write  it  myself.  It  doesn't  take  many 
words  to  give  all  of  a  person  or  all  of  an  estate  or  all  of 
Heaven  or  Hell." 

While  he  was  speaking  they  had  passed  to  where  they 
could  see  his  face;  and  the  way  in  which  it  had  aged,  and 
the  way  in  which  the  light  of  hope  had  died  out  of  it,  brought 
tears  to  their  eyes — and  Arndt  was  glad  of  the  excuse  to 
leave  the  room  and  go  into  the  study  for  what  was  wanted. 

Kenedy  immediately  commenced  to  talk  cheerfully  of  the 
future  and  how  glad  he  was  to  learn  that  the  plan  was  to  be 
put  in  operation,  and  while  he  talked  he  prepared  some  res- 
torative and  then  asked  Mr.  Endy  to  take  it. 

"What's  the  use,  Doctor?  Don't  I  know  that  my  work 
is  done — that  the  plan  will  be  used  to  further  the  interests 
of  the  rich,  will  be  used  to  defer  the  day  of  final  payment, 
will  be  used  to  put  new  shackles  on  the  worker  ?  No,  no !  I 
have  prayed,  'When  I  can  no  longer  be  instrumental  in 
averting  strife  between  the  rich  and  poor,  do  not  let  me 
live  to  see  the  inevitable  struggle.'  Martinvale  said  plainly 
that  he  and  the  others  would  never  submit  to  the  will  of  the 
voters  if  it  took  the  shape  of  Socialism.    The  workers  have 


234  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

submitted  year  after  year  and  century  after  century  to  legis- 
lation adverse  to  their  interests,  and  have  done  it  with  little 
murmuring.  They  are  the  patriots.  The  men  I  enter- 
tained this  day  and  all  like  them  are  the  traitors." 

Again  Kenedy  begged  him  to  take  the  medicine,  and 
again  he  refused ;  saying,  "I  have  strength  enough  left  to 
make  that  will  and  write  some  farewell  words  to  my  son — 
that  is  enough.  I  do  not  care  to  live  beyond  the  last  gleam 
of  that  shining  sun." 

Arndt  had  returned  while  he  was  speaking  and  Kenedy 
looked  meaningly  at  him. 

Arndt  simply  placed  the  open  telegram  in  the  father's 
hand. 

Nettie  was  seated  by  his  side  and  Annie  stood  with  her 
hand  resting  on  the  pillow  close  by  his  head,  and  when  he 
took  in  the  meaning  of  the  joyful  news  he  closed  his  eyes  in 
silent  thanksgiving  for  quite  a  while,  and  at  last  said,  "Give 
me  your  medicine,  Doctor — whatever  you  will — my  boy  is 
free,  is  coming  home — I  must  be  here  to  welcome  him." 

Nettie  leaned  over  and  kissed  him,  saying,  "Father, 
don't  forget  that  I  have  no  one  to  lean  on  but  you — you 
must  stay  with  me  for  many,  many  years." 

It  was  the  first  time  she  had  given  him  that  endearing 
title ;  and  he  clasped  her  hand  tightly  and  said :  "Dear  child, 
I  would  to  God  that  I  could,  for  your  sake — but  I  must  go ; 
and  you  will  not  need  me,"  looking  significantly  at  Arndt. 

But  both  of  them  knew  that  things  were  not  as  they  had 
been  between  Arndt  and  the  girl — not  since  the  day  of  her 
arrival  at  the  mansion. 

Arndt  placed  the  paper  on  the  invalid's  table  and  pushed 
it  to  the  bedside,  and  then  Mr.  Endy  wrote  the  necessary 
words  in  a  surprisingly  steady  hand,  and  said,  "Friends,  I 
acknowledge  that  to  be  my  last  will  and  testament  and 
request  all  to  sign  as  witness  of  my  acknowledgment  and 
that  I  am  of  sound  and  disposing  mind." 

In  the  meantime  Arndt  had  sent  for  a  Notary  before  he 
returned  to  the  room  with  the  pen  and  paper,  and  while  they 
were  signing  that  official  arrived  and  took  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  all  in  legal  form. 

When  everything  was  finished  Mr.  Endy  leaned  back 
and  rested  for  a  time  and  Arndt  accompanied  the  Notary  to 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  235 

the  door,  and  upon  his  return  to  the  bedside  his  friend  spoke 
to  him — and  all  could  note  that  his  voice  was  plainly  weaker 
— saying,  "Charles,  how  soon  do  you  think  they  can  be 
here?" 

"I  hope,  within  an  hour,  Sir,  if  they  got  a  special  and 
started  when  the  telegram  was  sent." 

Once  more  he  took  the  remedy  and  rested ;  and  when  he 
looked  at  them  again  it  was  much  more  brightly,  and  he 
said,  "See  here,  Doctor,  I  don't  want  to  go  to  sleep.  I 
have  much  to  say  to  Robert,  and  many  things  may  happen  to 
delay  him.  I  will  talk.  Charles,  get  ready  and  take  down 
my  words — my  final  words  to  Robert.  I  feel  that  there 
should  be  little  left  to  say  when  he  arrives." 

Kenedy  replied  promptly,  "It  will  do  you  no  harm  to  talk, 
but  you  should  not  give  up.  There  is  no  need  for  you  to  die, 
if  you  will  only  think  so  and  use  your  utmost  endeavors  to 
survive  the  shock  you  have  sustained.  I  know  how  severe 
a  one  it  is — and  Mr.  Martinvale  should  be  hanged — but  you 
can  still  do  much  for  humanity." 

"Doctor,"  said  he,  "I  have  done  with  fooling  myself.  I 
am  wedded  to  that  plan  of  mine.  If  they  had  rejected  it  I 
would  still  have  worked  to  secure  for  it  a  chance,  and,  even 
now,  convinced  as  I  am  that  the  ten  years'  work  was  wasted, 
I  could  not  refrain,  if  I  survived,  from  seeking  to  put  this 
and  the  other  feature  of  it  in  operation.  I  would  be  a 
hindrance  to  the  young  men  who  have  quite  another  work  to 
do ;  and  it  is  because  I  so  fully  realize  this  weakness  of  mine 
that  I  know  my  work  is  done.  All  I  ask  of  you  is,  abide 
with  me  till  night  shall  come,  and  keep  me  here  and  in  con- 
dition to  welcome  my  boy — and,  if  I  might  so  far  presume  on 
our  years  of  acquaintance,  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
the  workers,  in  the  future.  You  are  a  laboring  man,  as 
well  as  they.    Their  highest  interests  are  yours." 

"You  mean  the  Socialists?  I  am  already  enlisted.  So 
is  Arndt;  let  me  greet  you,  my  Comrade." 

"That  is  good  !  That  is  good  !  Oh,  what  a  word  that  is ! 
That  is  the  word  I  have  missed — all  my  life.  At  the  last  I 
have  learned  to  say  and  love  it." 

Turning  to  Annie  Arndt  he  said :  "Dear  girl,  let  me  thank 
you  for  the  untiring  kindness  with  which  you  tried  to  show 
me  this.     But  you  know  we  can  learn  our  lesson  in  but  one 


236  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

way — you  in  yours,  I  in  mine.      I  am  thankful  that  it  was 
so  gentle  a  hand  that  snapped  my  chains  and  set  me  free." 

Annie  leaned  over  and  kissed  his  forehead  and  said : 
"Comrade,  I  will  never  forget  those  words  of  thanks.  They 
shall  nerve  me  for  the  days  to  come." 

Arndt  said  that  he  was  ready  and  Mr.  Endy  requested 
the  others  not  to  leave,  as  he  had  nothing  to  say  that  all 
might  not  hear;  and  then  sentence  by  sentence,  slowly, 
slower  and  slower  and  ever  more  feebly  he  spoke  as  the 
hours  dragged  interminably  along.  Ever  the  pauses  between 
the  sentences  became  longer.  At  times  they  thought  that  he 
would  never  speak  again;  but  when  Arthur's  message  was 
read,  setting  a  definite  moment  for  the  arrival  of  his  son,  he 
seemed  to  revive  wonderfully  and  hurried  through  what  he 
had  still  to  say. 

Arndt  alone  knew  that  he  had  sent  Jeanette  to  the  station 
for  Robert ;  he  could  not  be  there  to  greet  him — he  sent  his 
best,  instead.  And  Robert  read  the  loving  thought  and 
blessed  him  for  it. 

Arndt  knew  the  thud,  thud,  thud  of  those  faithful  feet  as 
far  as  they  could  be  heard;  and  as  soon  as  Robert  left  the 
muddy  highway  and  entered  the  mansion  grounds  the  tid- 
ings of  his  coming  was  borne  to  Arndt's  ears  and  he  whis- 
pered to  Kenedy,  "He  is  coming,  he  is  here !" 
The  ears  of  Death  are  sharp. 

Mr.  Endy  caught  each  word,  and  when  Robert — finding 
no  one  to  meet  or  restrain  him,  supposing  that  his  father 
was  dead — rushed  into  the  room,  he  found  the  old  man 
standing  with  open  arms  to  greet  him  and  crying,  "Praise  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  praise  his  Holy 
name ;  for  this  my  son  was  lost  and  is  found — was  dead  and 
is  alive." 

For  the  moment  Robert  was  so  shocked,  so  overjoyed, 
that  he  did  not  take  another  step,  and  then  his  father  said — 
but  ob,  how  weak  and  trembling  the  voice  had  become — *'I 
bid  you  welcome  home,  my  boy.  All  that  I  have  is  yours. 
All  these  are  comrades  mine,  and  all  are  pledged  for  life — 
are  you  of  us?  Can  you  yet  speak  the  Comrade  word?" 
Now,  the  only  reservation  in  Robert's  mind  when  he 
wrote  to  his  father  the  last  time  was  the  fact  of  his  conver- 
sion to  Socialism.      Annie  Arndt  had  sent  him  book  after 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  237 

book  and  paper  after  paper  and  finally  several  letters  on  the 
subject;  and  so  it  was  with  great  relief  and  joy  that  he  was 
able  to  squarely  meet  his  father's  look  and  say,  "With  all  my 
heart  I  can ;  all  that  I  have  or  am  is  for  the  cause.  God 
bless  the  Comrade  cause!" 

"My  work  is  done,"  his  father  said,  and  would  have 
fallen  if  Robert  had  not  clasped  him  to  his  heart. 

Then   Kenedy  and  Arndt,   who  noticed  how  nerveless 

hung-  the  hands  of  their  friend,  went  to  Robert's  assistance ; 

and  when  they  laid  his  father  down  they  saw  that  that  which 

we  call  "Life  and  Thought  had  gone  away,  side  by  side." 
******** 

Annie  and  Nettie  could  not  restrain  their  tears.  They 
went  into  the  study  adjoining  the  bedroom,  and  to  the  win- 
dow that  opened  out  on  to  his  much  loved  balcony  ;  and  when 
Arndt  saw  them  there  he  also  came  and  stood  beside  them 
and  noticed  that  the  last  rays  of  the  sun — that  sun  that  had 
shown  so  brightly,  warmly,  cheeringly,  through  all  this  awful 
day — was  gilding  the  western  sky  more  gloriously  than  he 
had  seen  before.  The  room  behind  him  was  filled  with  the 
tender  light,  and  he  now  remembered  that  throughout  the 
day  the  birds  had  been  singing  and  twittering  their  delight 
at  what  they  thought  was  spring  at  hand. 

And  as  he  stooped  to  kiss  his  sister  he  said,  "And  yet 
the  Spring,  the  day  of  birth,  is  far  away — there's  much 
of  winter  yet  to  face  and  bear." 

At  that  kiss  Nettie  turned  away  and  glanced  through  the 
open  doorway  behind  them,  and  as  she  did  so  she  saw  the 
agony  on  the  face  of  Robert  Endy,  who  had  thrown  himself 
on  his  knees  and  was  gazing  at  his  father's  face  as  one  who 
never  could  gaze  enough.  The  sight  brought  back  to  her — 
as  in  a  flash  of  swiftest  lightning — the  wild,  wild  words  she 
had  spoken  of  him  the  night  her  father  died.  Dimly  the 
recollection  of  that  night  had  been  ever  with  her;  but  now 
she  heard  herself,  and  saw  it  all  again. 

She  gazed  until  she  found  that  Arndt  had  also  turned 
and  understood  her  thought,  and  then  she  went  from  them 
and  softly  closed  the  door. 

Returning,  she  reached  to  him  her  hand  and  said :  "Do 
curses,  righteous  curses,  ever  work  despite  the  human  in- 
strument?     And  yet,  have  I  not  also  lost,  have  I  smote 


238  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

him  and  not  my  friends  ?  No,  no !  You  had  the  right ; 
we  are  so  bound  that  none  may  smite  but  he  smites  all ;  that 
none  may  steal  but  he  thieves  from  himself.  You  were  most 
right ;  we  smite  a  system,  not  a  man ;  and  though  we  have 
befriended,  pitied,  loved  that  man,  still  is  his  life — the  life  he 
used  to  lead — made  desolate  and  a  failure — and  you  are  quit 
of  your  oath.  Here,  as  though  in  the  presence  of  the  dead, 
I  ask  you  if  you  wish  to  give  me  up — or  whether  my  father's 
wealth — now  dedicated  to  the  cause  we  love — shall  stand  be- 
tween us  any  more." 

Arndt  winced.  She  had  probed  his  most  secret  thoughts. 
He  answered  in  her  very  words:  "Remember,  you  are  mine, 
and  I  am  yours,  and  I  will  never  give  you  up — unless  you 
want  me  to,"  and  then  he  kissed  them  both ;  and  so  they 
stood  and  watched  the  dark  creep  up  to  meet  the  coming 
day. 

How  long  they  stood  none  knew. 

Within  the  room  there  was  no  sound  until  Robert,  who 
had  come  up  noiselessly  behind  them  said,  "Come,  I  now 
must  hear  of  all  there  is  to  tell.  Miss  Arndt,  you  have  my 
heartfelt  thanks — I  shall  never  forget  that  it  is  to  you  that 
I  owe  being  able  to  give  my  father  the  answer  he  wanted." 

Annie  noticed  how  firm,  resolute,  manly  was  the  tone 
of  his  voice,  and  she  replied,  "I  did  my  duty,  nothing  more. 
My  life  and  all  I  have  belongs — like  yours — to  this  great 
Cause.     Could  I  do  less  than  I  have  done  ?" 

And  then  they  went  down  to  their  friends  who  were 
anxiously  waiting  for  them  in  the  library.  Owing  to  the 
condition  of  the  streets  King  and  the  others  had  not  arrived 
until  after  Mr.  Endy's  death,  but  they  remained  to  offer  their 
services  and  sympathy  to  Robert.  Little  was  said,  for  sup- 
per was  soon  announced ;  but  afterwards  the  story  of  that 
day  was  told  by  Arndt  to  sympathetic  hearers,  and  when  he 
ended  he  went  to  the  desk  and  took  from  it  the  paper  he  had 
written  during  that  solemn  afternoon  and  handed  it  to  Rob- 
ert, who  immediately  asked  to  be  excused  and  went  with  it 
to  his  father's  room. 

It  was  then  nine  o'clock  and  King  and  Chandler  and 
Arthur  decided  that  they  must  return  to  Clyde  by  the  ten 
o'clock  express,  and  Kenedy  went  for  his  wife  to  remain 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  239 

with  the  ladies  at  the  mansion  until  after  the  burial  of  Mr. 
Endy. 

As  Chandler  was  leaving  he  said  to  Arndt,  "You  are 
named  with  me  on  a  power  of  attorney  signed  by  Chambers ; 
and  I  think  it  will  be  best,  if  you  can  be  spared  from  here 
tomorrow,  for  us  to  see  at  once  what  is  in  that  box  of  his. 
I  would  like  to  invite  Mr.  Arthur  to  be  with  us  when  we 
open  it,  as  he  can  tell  us  more  about  things  connected  with 
this  case  than  anyone  else." 

Arndt  gave  Arthur  a  cordial  invitation,  saying,  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  did  not  know  what  ever  possessed  Cham- 
bers to  put  his  name  on  such  a  document,  since  if  he  hated 
anyone  on  the  earth  or  beyond,  it  was  the  man  that  had 
struck  his  friend.  He  agreed,  however,  to  go  to  Clyde  on 
the  morrow,  if  possible. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Kenedy's  the  mansion  was 
shrouded  in  darkness,  save  where  the  light  gleaned  into  the 
night  from  the  window  of  Mr.  Endy's  room. 

There  Robert  sat  and  read  the  paper  and  the  will  en- 
closed therein  and  thought  of  all  the  past  and  planned  for 
the  future  until  the  first  glimmer  of  dawn  allowed  him  to 
extinguish  the  light;  and  then  he  called  Rollins  to  take  his 
place  by  the  side  of  the  dead. 

Even  then  he  started  at  the  beginning  and  read  those  last 
words  of  his  father  once  more  before  retiring. 

"To  my  dear  Son:    Greeting. 

"My  work  is  done ;  your  begins. 

"First:  Tear  from  your  heart  the  love  of  wealth;  for  I 
say  unto  you  that  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the 
eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven. 

"Second :  Tear  from  your  heart  the  love  and  pride  of 
place ;  for  I  say  unto  you  that  Equality  alone  can  make  you 
free. 

"Third :  Tear  from  your  heart  the  love  of  power ;  for  I 
say  unto  you,  'How  can  a  man  love  God  whom  he  hath  not 
seen,  if  he  love  not  his  fellow  whom  he  hath  seen?'  And 
doth  he  rule  by  force  who  loves? 

"Behold,  my  son,  I  show  you  this  my  secret  heart.  I 
have  lived  far,  far  from  men — live  close,  close,  close  to  them 


240  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

— to  all;  for  they  are  God  incarnate  here,  and  all  His  ways 
are  shown  in  them. 

"By  grace  of  Truth  this  I  see  now :  My  work  for  Peace 
was  vain ;  for  War  in  guise  of  Peace  has  ever  been  abroad 
and  stalking  through  all  lands.  Oh,  wasted  years,  Oh, 
blinded  eyes !  There  was  a  way,  a  sure  and  certain  way, 
to  Peace  that  never  had  been  yet  attained,  a  way  long 
since  declared  by  those  of  purest  hearts ;  and  I,  my  son,  saw 
not  that  way  and  spent  the  fruitless  years  in  casting  up  a 
highway  of  my  own — on  which  the  slayer  followed  in  my 
track. 

"Give  heed,  my  son !  This  is  that  why  that  blinded  these 
fond  eyes ;  this  is  that  why  that  deafened  these  too  credulous 
ears  ;  I  was,  like  that  young  man  of  old,  possessor  of  much 
wealth — and  could  not  use  the  Comrade  word  because  of  it. 

"Have  I  not  known  for  years  the  crimes  against  God's 
law  and  Man's  committed  by  the  rich? 

"Have  I  denounced  them  with  a  fearless  tongue? 

"Have  I  not  paid,  with  money  earned  by  those  who  knew 
not  ease  or  what  man's  life  should  be,  a  man  to  speak  smooth 
words  to  rich  men  day  by  day  ? 

"Have  I  denounced  him  when  his  coward  tongue  with 
silence  cloaked  their  evil,  grasping  lives? 

"Why  have  I  not? 

"Look  on  this  earth  and  say  if  it  is  thine! 

"Look  on  this  earth  and  show  your  title  from  its  maker 
to  an  inch  of  it ! 

"These  words  I  utter  lest  my  blindness  should  be  thine; 
yet  I  have  hope  that  light  has  dawned  on  thee, — for  prison 
walls  can  not  bar  Truth. 

"There  is  a  cry  of  Traitor  in  the  land. 

"My  son,  I  had  them  in  my  house  and  at  my  board  this 
day. 

"One  man  for  four  years'  term  and  nine  for  life  rule  over 
this  fair  land  and  make  a  mock  of  Freedom  and  of  law.  Be- 
ware of  them ;  for  they  are  tools  of  whosoever  can  control 
the  purse. 

"I  speak  as  one  who  is  beyond  the  reach  of  man  and 
shortly  shall  see  God.  This  is  not  courage,  son ;  do  you 
show  more. 

"There  needs  not  that  I  say  to  you  to  treasure  as  your 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  241 

dearest  friend  the  man  that  writes  these  words  for  me.  Yet 
will  I  say  it,  since  the  time  is  short  and  I  would  place  on 
record  that  I  love  him  well. 

"O  child  of  mine !  Think  what  a  world  this  world  might 
be  if  but  equality  and  justice  reigned. 

"Your  task  is  ready  to  your  hand. 

"See  that  the  hour  of  your  departure  finds  it  finished  and 
the  Nations  one  in  love  and  aim  and  Brothers  all,  and  War 
forever  slain. 

"When  future  days  are  dark  and  dreary  turn  from  the 
day  and  find  a  joy  that  shall  illume  the  blackest  cloud  in 
working  for  and  loving  outcasts  and  the  unprotected  weak, 
until  that  day  when  none  of  these  shall  be. 

"Behold!  I  send  you  word:  The  dawning  of  that  day 
is  near  at  hand." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"The  telling  of  it  all,  by  Saint  or  Scamp,  lets  in  a  flood  of  light." 

— Old  Truths  in  New  Clothes. 

As  fickle  as  February  weather,  should  be  a  proverb,  if 
it  isn't,  thought  Arndt  as  he  faced  the  keen  wind  on  his  way 
to  the  station  the  next  morning. 

Robert  had  assured  him  that  everything  had  been 
attended  to  that  could  be  and  that  he  himself  was  very 
desirous  to  know  what  further  revelations  there  were  in 
store. 

So  Arndt,  who,  after  the  previous  day's  experiences 
and  the  excitement  of  hearing  of  the  death  of  the  presi- 
dent and  his  secretary,  was  feeling  very  much  like  doing 
nothing  for  a  day  or  two,  said  that  it  would  do  him  good  to 
walk,  and  refused  the  use  of  the  carriage.  He  had  thought 
to  use  his  pet,  but  concluded  that,  although  she  showed  no 
ill  effects  from  the  race  of  the  preceding  day,  he  would 
let  her  rest. 

Jeanette  was  Arndt's  one  extravagance.  Years  before, 
while  walking  on  a  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  country  with 
Nettie  she  saw  the  animal — then  but  a  colt — frisking  in 
the  pasture,  and  both  of  them  admired  her  so  much  that 
Arndt  invested  a  good  portion  of  all  he  had  then  saved  in 
purchasing  her. 

Jeanette  was  one  cause  of  Arndt's  unpopularity  with 
the  men — or  rather  had  been  when  the  strike  began, — for 
they  insisted  that  it  was  aping  the  rich  for  a  workingman 
to  own  such  an  animal  as  Jeanette  had  proved  to  be.  We 
consider  every  man's  extravagance  unjustifiable,  but  our 
own.  Arndt  stuck  by  his  pet,  and  she  showed  in  a  hun- 
dred ways  that  she  loved  her  owner.  Jeanette  apparently 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  strike ;  yet  it  was  the  comrade- 
ship of  the  man  and  the  brute  that  first  attracted  Mr.  Endy 
to  Arndt  and  finally  made  him  trust  him  so  entirely.  We 
are  too  prone  to  accept  the  visible  causes  of  things  as  the 

242 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  243 

real  causes — and  we  do  it,  oftentimes,  because  of  their  large- 
ness or  nearness. 

As  Arndt  walked  briskly  along  he  was  thinking  of  the 
petty  meanness  of  the  rich  men  who  had  dragged  his  friend 
Jack  Cassady,  cripple  as  he  was,  to  Washington  to  testify 
before  the  Strike  Commission  appointed  by  the  president 
as  to  Arndt's  owning  and  supporting  Jeanette,  and  of  how 
their  well  fed  attorneys  had  harped  on  that  fact  as  demon- 
strating the  baselessness  of  the  claims  of  the  strikers. 

The  thought  of  Jack  and  his  crippled  condition  caused 
Arndt  to  look  at  his  watch ;  and  finding  that  he  had  time 
to  spare  he  went  several  blocks  out  of  his  way  to  drop  in 
at  the  little  news  stand  where  he,  with  Mr.  Endy's  aid  had 
set  up  Jack  in  business. 

By  the  time  he  reached  the  place  he  was  chilled  through 
and  was  glad  to  stand  by  the  stove  and  chat  for  a  few 
moments,  and  in  the  course  of  the  conversation  Cassady 
said,  "By  the  way  Arndt,  I  want  you  to  put  this  paper 
in  your  pocket,  and  when  you  get  time  read  that  little  piece 
in  fine  print  down  in  the  corner  that  I  have  marked.  It  is 
certainly  curious  how  those  capitalistic  sheets  manage  to 
give,  and  yet  not  give,  the  news  that  reflects  on  the  doings 
of  the  rich.    I  marked  it  for  you  because  of  that." 

Arndt  was  obliged  to  hurry  to  catch  his  train,  and  when 
he  was  comfortably  seated  he  took  out  the  paper  and  read : 

"Some  curious  developments  in  the  Hotchiss  will  case. 

"Our  readers  will  probably  recall  the  noted  case  of 
Robert  Hotchiss,  in  which  he,  the  testator,  cut  off  his  heirs 
with  as  little  as  the  law  would  allow  and  bestowed  all  the 
remainder  in  trust  to  the  Co-operative  Commonwealth  when- 
ever it  should  be  established  either  in  this  country  or  in 
other  lands.  The  case  was  taken  by  him  on  a  feigned  issue 
to  the  courts  during  his  lifetime  so  that  litigation  after  his 
death  might  be  prevented.  The  courts  decided  that  the 
will  was  perfectly  legal.  Then  his  natural  heirs  attacked 
his  will  on  the  ground  that  he,  the  testator,  was  not  of 
sound  and  disposing  mind.  The  old  gentleman  was  evi- 
dently prepared  for  that,  and  during  the  first  day  of  his 
examination  by  the  court  gave  unimpeachable  evidence  of 
his  sanity.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  the  second  day  com- 
pletely established  the  contention  of  his  heirs,  and  he  was 


244  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

immediately  sent  to  a  private  sanitarium  where  he  yester- 
day killed  himself, — thereby  disclosing  the  fact  that  a 
minute  opening  had  at  some  time  in  the  past  been  made 
through  the  skull,  and  through  this  opening — evidently  by 
means  of  a  hypodermic  syringe — some  solution  which  after- 
ward hardened  on  the  brain  was  injected  by  some  person 
or  persons  at  present  unknown.  It  is  probable  that  when 
the  substance  which  has  been  pressing  on  the  brain  is 
analyzed  the  detectives  may  have  some  clue  as  to  the  per- 
petrators of  the  crime.  At  all  events,  it  is  a  remarkable 
co-incidence  that  Mr.  Hotchiss  should  have  fallen  a  victim 
to  such  an  outrage  at  just  the  moment  his  heirs  were  try- 
ing to  prove  his  mental  unsoundness.  But  the  wealth  and 
social  standing  of  those  who'  now  inherit  his  millions  and 
lands  place  them  beyond  suspicion." 

Arndt  smiled  sarcastically  when  the  last  sentence  was 
finished,  and  he  carefully  folded  the  paper  and  placed  it  in 
his  pocket,  saying  to  himself,  "I  wonder  if  Arthur  has  seen 
that  ?    If  not,  I  have  a  surprise  in  store  for  him." 

This  early  express  being  the  train  on  which  the  rich  and 
well-to-do  traveled  from  their  suburban  residences  to  Clyde 
was  luxuriously  appointed  and  made  excellent  time,  and 
Arndt  settled  himself  comfortably  to  rest  and  sleep,  if  pos- 
sible ;  for  he  had  not  been  able  to  sleep  much  the  night 
before.  But  even  now  his  thoughts  ran  riot.  He  gave  up 
the  effort  and  glanced  about  the  car  in  search  of  some  one 
he  knew,  to  whom  he  could  talk. 

There  were  several  of  the  men  who  had  been  at  the 
meeting,  but  they  had  not  even  noticed  him  when  he 
entered  the  car,  and  he  would  not  have  cared  to  talk  to 
them,    in   any  event. 

Finally  he  glanced  immediately  behind  him  and  was 
pleased  to  see  Hubert  the  poet  and  novelist  seated  there. 
He  was  well  acquainted  with  him  and  immediately  said, 
"Come  over  here,  will  you?  I  would  like  to  chat  with 
you.     I  have  a  question  or  two  to  ask  you." 

"Fire  away!"  said  Hubert,  as  soon  as  he  was  seated; 
"but  you  always  want  to  remember  that  I  am  liable  to 
use  you  and  whatever  you  say  as  material.  We  writers 
run  short  of  material  every  once  in  a  while,  you  know." 

This  was  said   laughingly,  but  Arndt  replied,   "In  all 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  245 

seriousness,  that  is  the  very  thing  I  want  to  talk  about. 
Now  see !  I  have  almost  given  up  reading  modern  fiction 
and  poetry.  And  why?  The  poetry  is  beautiful,  it  is 
polished  until  it  dazzles  the  senses,  it  is  chaste  and  refined; 
but  it  does  not  report  or  represent  the  life  of  the  world 
I,  nor  any  one  I  know,  live  in.  Its  very  polish  and  refine- 
ment is  its  bane.  It  does  not  talk  a  word  of  the  worker's 
language.  From  a  business  standpoint  I  suppose  that  such 
writing  is  commendable,  since  the  workers  are  not  in  a 
position  to  buy  poetry,  no  matter  how  written ; — their 
pockets  are  empty,  their  larders  are  bare,  and  their  brains 
have  been  dulled  by  incessant  toil  until  poetry,  unless  it 
be  of  the  harsh  and  rugged  kind  to  which  you  deny  the 
name,  is  frankly  beyond  them. 

"So  I  let  the  poetry  pass.  But  look  at  the  prose,  espe- 
cially the  fiction.  What  do  I  find  in  real  life.  Take  yester- 
day, for  instance.  You  know  its  terrible  score  of  promi- 
nent men  whose  lives  ended  in  this  small  scope  of  country 
and  within  its  twenty-four  hours.  That  is  the  fact !  There 
is  your  material !  Where  do  I  find  its  counterpart  in  fic- 
tion?" 

Hubert  smiled  at  him  and  said,  "No  doubt,  no*  doubt! 
I  used  to  do  that  sort  of  thing:  wrote  poems  that  stirred 
your  heart  and  told  of  things  that  actually  happened.  I 
have  several  of  what  I  still  call  my  best  works  nicely  type- 
written and  bound  and  carefully  stored  away.  Some  day, 
when  you  have  time,  call  around  and  I  will  let  you  have 
one  of  them  to  read.  They  are  just  as  easy  to  read  as 
print — and  I  have  no  objection  to  an  appreciative  person, 
who  is  honorable  enough  to  not  steal  my  ideas,  reading 
and  enjoying  them.  Fact  is,  I  would  like  to  convince  you 
that  I,  at  least,  do  write  real  life  in  some  of  my  fiction.  It 
is  true,  there  is  little  of  the  genuine  article  in  my  published 
works.  You  can't  tell  me  anything  about  that.  And  the 
exasperating  thing  about  it  is  that  I  know  the  works  would 
be  read  if  some  prominent  publishing  house  would  print 
and  circulate  them ;  but,  although  my  works  are  popular, 
they  won't, — for  their  critics  would  immediately  cry  out 
against  the  occurrences  of  yesterday  that  they  were  not  art 
and  that  their  presentation  destroyed  the  artistic  quality  of 
the  book.     See?     And  the  worst  of  it,  from  your  point  of 


246  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

view,"  is,  I  suppose,  that  the  critics  and  the  public,  between 
them  have  convinced  me — and  now  I  turn  out  literature. 
Well,  here  we  are  almost  at  Clyde." 

Arndt,  with  the  ardor  of  a  new  convert,  said,  "And  yet 
they  assert  that  the  Socialist  state  would  be  the  death  of 
art.  It  seems  to  me  that  what  you  have  said  is  a  confession 
that  the  life  the  capitalistic  state  brings  about  is  so  inartis- 
tic that  you  cannot  truthfully  portray  it  and  at  the  same 
time  turn  out  artistic  work.  Socialism,  art  or  no  art,  for 
me!" 

Had  Arndt  been  keeping  up  with  Hubert's  latest  work 
he  would  not  have  been  surprised  when  the  "silver-tongued 
poet"  arose  and  hastily  picked  up  his  coat,  saying,  "Permit 
me,  Sir,  to  retract  that  invitation.  I  do  not  consider  a 
Socialist  trustworthy  or  a  gentleman." 

They  had  reached  their  destination,  and  Hubert  left 
without  saying  good-bye. 

As  Arndt  followed  him  out  of  the  car  he  said  to  him- 
self, "Phew !  Slap  in  the  face  number  one.  Nice  out- 
look !"  And  he  was  sympathizing  with  the  men  who  have 
patiently  endured  that  sort  of  thing  all  through  the  years 
for  one  despised  cause  or  another,  until  he  arrived  at 
Chandler's   office. 

The  earliest  possible  moment  of  opening  the  outer  doors 
found  the  three  men  at  the  Deposit  Building,  and  their 
eagerness  was  such  that  they  were  astonished  when  they 
learned  that  after  attending  to  all  preliminaries  they  had 
still   several   minutes   to   wait. 

Chandler  said,  "Well,  for  once,  I've  no  use  for  time- 
locks  on  vaults." 

Arndt — who  was  the  most  composed  of  the  party — said, 
"Nevertheless,  they  are  splendid  safeguards,  and  we  can't 
always  have  things  work  our  way.  I  have  tried  to  think 
of  a  single  thing  which  did  not  appear  to  work  hardship 
to  some  one  at  times,  and  I  cannot  remember  one.  I  try 
to  never  forget — especially  when  1  am  in  a  hurry — as  true 
a  thing  as  ever  I  heard  ;  namely.  'There  is  an  eternity  behind 
and  another  ahead  of  von  :  a  few  moments  will  not  mat- 
ter.'" 

"That's  the  talk!"  said  Arthur,  "but  I  can't  always 
remember  in  time." 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  247 

"Neither  do  I,"  said  Arndt. 

At  this  moment  the  time-locks  opened;  and  as  the  bolts 
flew  back  and  the  great  doors  that  admitted  them  to  where 
the  smaller  safes  were  stored  swung  open,  each  man  found 
himself  holding  his  breath. 

In  a  few  moments  the  box  was  placed  in  their  hands 
and  they  were  conducted  to  a  private  room  in  the  build- 
ing. 

As  they  opened  the  lock  the  lid  raised  slightly  and  they 
all,  involuntarily,  drew  back. 

Arndt — who  was  standing  nearest  to  the  table — said, 
"We  are  somewhat  nervous,  are  we  not?"  and,  reaching 
across  Chandler  who  had  just  stepped  up,  he  threw  back 
the  lid. 

Immediately  on  top  were  some  typewritten  directions 
for  operating  a  certain  talking  machine.  In  large  letters 
the  heading  said,  "THIS  MACHINE  HAS  NEVER 
BEEN  PATENTED.  INVENTOR  IS  DEAD.  LET- 
TERS OF  ASSIGNMENT  OF  ALL  RIGHTS  TO  AR- 
CHIBALD CHAMBERS;  HIS  HEIRS  OR  ASSIGNS 
ARE  HERETO  ATTACHED."  Then  followed,  "Special 
features  of  invention :  Smallness,  lightness,  silent  work- 
ing, capacity  of  cylinder,  exact  reproduction  of  voice,  time 
switch — by  which  cylinder  commences  to  revolve  either 
instantaneously  or  after  5,  10,  15  or  20  minutes,  and  pitch 
regulator — by  which  ordinary  continuous  sounds  are  not 
recorded,  and  a  switch  controlling  automatic  repeater." 

Under  this  was  another  typewritten  paper,  headed,  "Con- 
fession of  Archibald  Chambers,"  and  under  this  was  the 
wonderful   little  machine. 

Every  part  of  it  showed  by  its  perfection  and  beauty 
that  it  was  the  output  of  an  expert  who  had  delighted  in 
his  work.  They  said  nothing  as  Arndt  took -it  out  of  the 
box  and  placed  it  on  the  table  and  then  sat  down  and  read 
the  instructions  for  running  it. 

When  he  finished  Arthur  exclaimed,  "Just  what  might 
have  been  expected !  That  man  certainly  had  brains ;  and 
I  am  going  to  tell  you,  right  now,  that  in  spite  of  all  Cham- 
bers may  say  or  have  said  to  anyone,  I  know,  or  at  least 
feel  certain,  that  while  others  may  have  made  the  parts, 
it  was   Chambers  himself  that   furnished    the    brains    and 


248  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

assembled  this  perfect  machine.  But,  let  us  hear  what  the 
instrument  has  to  say;  although,  I  expect  that  I  have 
already  listened  to  some  of  it." 

While  he  was  speaking  Arndt  followed  the  instructions 
and  unscrewed  the  electric  light  bulb  from  its  wire  and 
then   attached   the  wire  to   the   machine. 

"Electric  motor !"  exclaimed  Arthur.  "By  jove !  it  would 
run   forever." 

"Either  way,"  said  Arndt ;  "wind  it  up,  if  you  want  to." 

A  touch  of  oil  here  and  there  and  the  machine  was  in 
running  order,  and  again  all  hesitated  to  make  the  last 
move ;  but  this  time  it  was  the  detective  who  reached  to- 
wards it  and  pushed  the  lever  which  Arndt  had  set  for 
instantaneous  action.  Immediately  there  rolled  through 
the  room  the  sonorous  tones  of  a  voice  which  every  man 
knew  to  be  that  of  Mr.  Craggie,  and  they  all — in  spite 
of  themselves — looked  towards  the  door. 

The  delusion  was  so  perfect  that  in  listening  to  the  voice 
and  marveling  at  its  strength  they  had  lost  some  of  the 
words,  for  Arndt  had  set  the  machine  for  its  loudest  pitch 
and  greatest  speed.  It  had  seemed  not  possible  for  so  small 
an  instrument  to  talk  at  all  without  the  aid  of  a  multiplier. 

He  now  reduced  the  speed  and  the  volume  and  started 
it  again ;  and  then  every  sense  that  could  be  brought  to 
bear  was  concentrated  on  the  words  and  the  instrument. 
Arndt  and  Chandler  were  very  quiet  and  kept  their  gaze 
riveted  on  the  revolving  cylinder,  but  the  detective  watched 
the  faces  of  the  other  two. 

As  the  talk  suddenly  stopped  after  the  words,  "Anybody 
being  killed,"  Arndt  said,  as  he  drew  a  quick  breath,  "If 
he  were  not  already  dead,  it  would  take  even  more  money 
than  a  Craggie  ever  had  to  save  him,  I  think." 

All  except  Arthur  were  startled  when  the  talk  once 
more  commenced  abruptly  and  then  again  suddenly  ended, 
at  the  same  moment  that  there  was  a  faint  click. 

The  cylinder  stopped. 

Arthur  sprang  to  his  feet,  exclaiming,  "By  the  Eternal! 
That  clears  up  the  last  thing.  That  man  ought  to  have 
lived.     I  need  him  in  my  business." 

"Yes,"  said  Arndt,  "it  clears  it  up.     He  stopped  where 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  249 

he  did  because  he  had  to; — ana  you  never  founa  it  out, 
nor  even  suspected  it." 

"I  never  did,"  was  the  candid  reply. 

Chandler  was  looking  inquiringly  at  them.  Arthur  had 
not  gone  into  details  about  Mr.  Craggie's  experience  with 
Chambers  while  telling  the  story  in  the  car.  He  had  spoken 
much  more  freely  to  Arndt  the  previous  night.  When 
he  saw  Chandler's  look  he  realized  that  the  lawyer  was 
still  in  the  dark.  So  they  sat  there  with  the  silent  machine 
on  the  table  before  them  and  the  unopened  confession  on 
the  lid  of  the  box  while  Arthur  told  again  of  the  way  that 
Chambers  had  driven  the  president  to  the  verge  of  distrac- 
tion. But  he  said  nothing  about  the  actual  plan  of  Mr. 
Craggie  for  controlling  Mr.  Endy;  and  the  others  under- 
stood that  having  heard  it  in  the  way  he  had,  he  would 
never  be   at  liberty  to   reveal  it. 

So  Chandler  listened  carefully  and  without  interruption 
until  he  told  about  the  receipt  of  the  daily  letters  from  the 
confederate  on  the  outside;  and  then  Chandler  lifted  up  his 
hands  in  astonishment  and  appeared  to  be  speechless. 

His  companions  gazed  at  him  in  wondering  silence  for 
a  while,  and  then  Arndt  remarked,  "It  might  be  just  as  well 
to  tell  us  all  about  it,  Harry.  If  you  need  any  assistance, 
say  so." 

"Well,  I  do;  and  if  it  were  anybody  but  Chambers  that 
had  done  me  in  this  way  I  should  never  admit  it — not 
even  to  you.  But  the  fact  is  that  he  had  no  confederate 
on  the  outside,  so  far  as  I  know — unless  you  look  on  me 
as  one.  I  expect  that  I  wrote  every  one  of  those  letters, 
sealed  and  mailed  them  myself ;  and  there  wasn't  a  word  in 
any  one  of  them  but  'Letter  received' — not  even  a  date  or 
signature." 

"How  on  earth  did  he  ever  get  you  to  do  it?  and  you 
with  your  experience  with  criminals!"  said  Arthur. 

Then  Chandler  narrated  all  his  dealings  with  Cham- 
bers, and  when  he  had  finished  he  added,  "I  said,  the  last 
time  he  was  at  my  office,  and  I  say  it  again,  'That  man  is 
too  smart'  for  me, — only,  Gentlemen,  with  your  permission, 
I  will  change  the  last  word." 

"By  all  means!    yes,  Sir,"  said  Arthur,  "make  it  US." 

They  were  recalled  to  the  confession  by  Arndt's  words : 


250  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

"After  all,  and  in  spite  of  his  rascality,  I  liked  Chambers," 
and  he  added  with  a  sigh,  "I  am  sorry  for  him — I  confess 
that  I  do  not  understand  him  at  all.  Let  us  see  what  he 
has  to  say  for  himself." 

Arndt  handed  the  paper  to  Chandler  to  read,  and  they 
all  leaned  back  in  their  chairs  waiting  for  him  to  begin. 
But  he  sat  with  the  open  paper  before  him  and  stared  at 
it,  and  at  last  he  said — below  his  breath, — "That  man  is 
better  dead  than  living;  he  was  too  smart." 

"Begin,"  said  Arndt. 

Without  any  explanation  of  his  remark  Chandler  said: 

"Confession  of  Archibald  Chambers. 

"To  the  three  men  who  will  first  read  this  confession: 
Gentlemen: — I  am  risking  having  the  laugh  on  me,  one 
time ;  but,  as  I  will  not  be  present  to  hear  it,  that  one  time 
will  not  matter.  I  think  that  there  will  be  three  of  you, 
since  you  are  all  alive  at  the  moment  of  this  writing — which 
is  two  o'clock  of  February   eighteenth." 

"The  very  afternoon  he  visited  my  office  the  last  time," 
interrupted   Chandler. 

"The  very  afternoon  the  president  set  me  on  his  trail," 
said  Arthur. 

Chandler  resumed.  "I  feel  confident  that  Mr.  Arthur 
will  be  of  your  number,  and  I  would  place  his  name  on 
the  power  of  attorney,  only,  it  seemed  useless.  Being  a 
detective  he  will  probably  by  this  time  know  more  of  my 
doings  than  anyone  but  myself,  and  I  want  to  clear  up  the 
few  points  that  are,  I  presume,  obscure  to  his  mind. 

"I  hope  that  he  has  enjoyed  tracking  me  as  much  as 
I  have  enjoyed  fooling  him  and  all  the  others.  He  will 
appreciate  the  fine  points  of  my  work  more  than  most  men, 
and  I  hope  that  he  is  now  present  as  you  read  this.  He 
will  probably  be  the  man  to  arrest  me,  and  so,  one  of  those 
to  see  me  die ;  and  I  want  his  testimony  to  confirm  my 
words  that  I  embraced  the  quietness  brought  by  the  great- 
est friend  of  man  as  a  lover  accepts  the  offered  kiss  of  his 
sweetheart:  passionately,  thankfully. 

"Of  course,  I  killed  myself.  When  T  put  that  long, 
slender,  bright-brown  cigar  of  Craggie's  into  the  compart- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  251 

ment  in  my  case — where  you  will  find  that  my  short,  thick, 
black  ones  will  not  go — I  forced  it  firmly  on  to  the  lance- 
shaped  spring  concealed  there  which  pierced  it  and  at  the 
same  time  injected  the  poison  into  the  cigar.  As  soon  as 
I  bit  off  the  end  of  the  cigar, — which  I  swallowed  (forgive 
me  for  speaking  in  the  past  tense,  I  feel  that  way!)  I 
knew  that  everything  had  worked  satisfactorily.  With 
criminals,  working  for  selfish  ends,  Arthur  and  the  other 
detectives  are  all  right;  but  they  stood  no  chance  with  me. 
Arthur  played  into  my  hands  finely — or,  at  least,  I  know 
he  will. 

"I  suppose  that  Mr.  Craggie  is  now  in  prison.  I  hope 
so.  I  want  to  give  him  a  chance  to  experience  some  things ; 
I  want  to  give  him  a  good  scare ;  I  want  to  teach  him  how 
the  inside  of  a  jail  feels  to  a  man  who  is  innocent  of  the 
particular  crime  with  which  he  stands  charged.  I  hope  that 
no  personal  harm  has  come  to  him  at  the  hands  of  the 
mob.  Some  years  ago  I  would  have  rejoiced  at  such  a 
termination  of  it  all,  but  not  now.  I  have  no  desire  that 
others  should  be  involved  in  his  punishment.  Still,  it  has 
to  be  risked,  and  if  things  turn  out  that  way  you  can  con- 
sole yourselves — even  as  I  do — by  the  thought  that  on  gen- 
eral principles  he  deserves  all  he  will  ever  get.  But  I  prefer 
that  he  shall  die  some  other  way.  There  is  an  ideal  execu- 
tioner for  Mr.  Craggie;  I  am  acquainted  with  him. 

''I  want  to  clear  myself  of  one  thing.  It  is  a  matter 
of  keen  regret  with  me  that  Mr.  Endy  has  had  to  suffer 
so  much.     That  was  entirely  unintentional. 

"He  is  a  good  man.  But  he  has  had  all  the  pleasures 
which  wealth  could  bestow,  throughout  his  life;  and  he 
has  had  an  exceptionally  pleasant  time.  He  had  just  em- 
barked on  a  course  which,  to  my  mind,  was  and  is  certain 
to  bring  him  worry,  trouble  and  defeat  for  his  most 
cherished  project.  I  think  that  the  strikers  themselves  will 
eventually  wound  him  deeply ;  I  have  no  faith  in  their 
gratitude ;  and  in  any  event,  they  must  sooner  or  later  enlist 
in  the  Socialist  ranks.  That  would  hurt  him  sorely.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  is  deluding  himself  with  the  hope  that 
the  rich  will  rally  to  his  aid.  As  you  will  learn  later,  Mr. 
Craggie  has  worked  out  just  such  a  scheme  to  head  off 
Socialism  when  the  day  comes  that  he  must  commence  to 


252  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

make  concessions.  I  need  scarcely  say  that,  being  his,  it 
is  not  in  the  interest  of  the  men. 

"Some  such  thoughts  were  in  my  mind  when  I  went 
to  the  Endy  mansion  that  night  after  reading  the  words  of 
Mr.  Craggie  which  placed  him  completely  in  my  power. 
But  at  first,  I  thought  only  of  grasping  the  opportunity  to 
bring  to  an  end  the  task  I  had  set  for  myself;  and  I  did 
not  then  think  of  any  man's  suffering.  I  fully  expected 
that  Mr.  Endy  would  not  suffer,  inasmuch  as  I  intended 
to  give  him  as  peaceful  and  quiet  a  departure  as  I  have 
secured  for  myself.  I  felt  that  he  might  just  as  well  step 
down  and  out  then  as  at  any  time.  You  know,  when  one 
has  to  live  daily  with  a  man  who  thinks  nothing  of  forcing 
men  to  strike — well  knowing  that  many  innocent  women 
and  children  will  necessarily  starve  to  death — one  is  bound 
to  become  reckless  in  regard  to  the  life  of  a  single  indi- 
vidual. 

"Well,  I  expected  to  find  Mr.  Endy  asleep,  and  in  that 
event  he  would  simply  have  continued  to  sleep — forever; 
which  is  probably  easier  and  better  than  nature  will  now  do 
for  him.  But  he  awoke,  as  I  was  leaning  over  the  bed, 
and  grappled  with  me,  and  then — because  my  work  was 
not  finished — I  had  to  grapple  with  him  and  defend  myself. 
He  is  a  brave  old  man.  He  never  cried  out  until  I  struck 
him.  I  am  sorry  for  him,  sorry  for  every  moment  of 
suffering  I  caused  him.  Mr.  Craggie  was  the  cause:  / 
shall  make  Mr.  Craggie  pay  for  Jiis  suffering  and  my  regret. 

"A  few  words  more  in  explanation  of  that  act.  I  will 
say  that  for  ten  mortal  years  I  have  been  under  sentence 
of  death  and  daily  suffering  physical  tortures  almost  un- 
endurable, and  that — because  I  would  not  sacrifice  my  keen- 
ness of  intellect  by  using  opiates — there  have  been  many 
hours  when,  had  the  power  been  mine,  I  would  willingly 
have  depopulated  this  globe  at  a  stroke  in  order  to  end 
my  own  sufferings  and  that  of  others — and  would  have 
considered  that  act  the  most  merciful  one  ever  performed. 
Such  was  my  mood  that  night. 

"When  I  first  entered  the  employ  of  Craggie  I  was 
apparently  in  perfect  health  and  thought  that  I  saw  a  clear 
road  ahead  to  the  attainment  of  my  goal.  But  one  day  I 
felt  twinges  and  sharp  pains  that  disturbed  me,  and  the 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  253 

physician  I  consulted  looked  very  grave,  very  grave.  The 
drugs  he  gave  me  brought  only  temporary  relief  and  I  was 
soon  compelled  to  choose  between  them  and  the  ability  to 
go  on  with  my  work — my  life-work,  I  mean.  Then  I  had 
an  opportunity  to  consult  the  most  eminent  specialist  in  the 
world,  while  we  were  once  at  San  Francisco,  and  I  heard 
with  dismay  that  my  doom  was  sealed :  years  of  suffering 
ahead,    and   an   agonizing   death   in   the  end. 

"I  am  not  one  to  hesitate.  At  the  next  stopping  place 
I  had  a  true  friend — and  you  would  be  surprised  to  know 
how  many  friends  I  have  had  and  have — who  was  able  to 
procure  for  me  the  means  of  a  painless  release.  For  this  I 
thank  him  again :  I  have  already  rewarded  him. 

"Now,  on  the  day  preceding  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy, 
and  in  fact  ever  since  the  strike  began,  Craggie  had  been 
using  and  abusing  me  worse  than  usual ;  the  terrific  speed 
at  which  we  traveled  increased  my  sufferings  a  hundred 
fold — and  yet  I  had  to  wear, — if  not  a  smiling,  at  least, — 
an  unruffled  countenance.  You  know7  how  that  gets  on 
one's  nerve.  I  was  perfectly  savage  when  I  left  the  car; 
and  when  I  heard  what  the  machine  had  to  tell  me  I  saw 
my  opportunity  in  an  instant, — and  neither  hesitated  nor 
feared.  What  has  a  man  to  fear  who  has  had  death  in  con- 
crete form  ready  to  his  hand  for  ten  years.  And  this  will 
explain  my  apparent  recklessness  and  audacity.  Craggie 
could  not  reach  me :  I  had  made  a  league  with  Death.  The 
day  that  assured  Craggie's  downfall  and  defeat  was 
marked,  long  years  ago,  as  the  day  for  me  and  Death  to 
meet. 

"In  the  carrying  out  of  my  plans  I  have  made  myself 
indispensable  to  Craggie,  have  aided  him  in  every  way  to 
attain  his  ambition,  have  unobtrusively  suggested  fine 
points  of  play  continually,  have  never  balked  no  matter 
how  disagreeable  or  even  dishonorable  the  task  assigned 
me — and  all  to  the  end  of  elevating  him  the  higher  in  order 
to  insure  the  greater  fall.  And  he  has  improved  wonder- 
fully under  my  tutelage — though  even  today  he  is  no  more 
capable  of  running  things  without  my  assistance  than  he 
is  of  keeping  the  earth  in  its  orbit  should  the  forces  that 
hold  it  there  relax.     Did  you  ever  see  a  worse  managed 


254  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

business  than  this  strike? — he  took  things  in  his  own 
hands. 

"I  recognize  the  inconsistency  of  my  character,  full 
well.  I  cause  a  man  to  be  discharged  and  blacklisted  and 
then,  if  it  has  been  due  to  the  carrying  out  of  my  plan,  I 
aid  him  in  every  way  possible.  One  holding  my  present 
opinion  of  mankind  in  general  should  not  do  so.  That  is 
me  before  the  world  refused  to  stand  by  me  and  redress  a 
great  wrong  done  to  one  I  loved.  I  am  no  philanthropist. 
To  me,  man  seems  a  pretty  sorry  animal, — and  very  largely 
a  hypocrite.  Craggie,  for  instance,  has  been  just  as  directly 
the  murderer  of  thousands  of  soldiers  who  have  died  in 
wars  he  brought  about  to  increase  his  wealth  and  power 
as  the  individual  who  plans  the  death  of  another  and 
strikes  the  blow  with  his  own  hand.  He  has  time  after 
time  stolen  the  total  earnings  of  his  employes  by  removing 
and  consolidating  his  works  without  making  any  provision 
for  them  or  giving  them  any  compensation  for  the  homes 
they  had  paid  for  out  of  their  hard-earned  wages,  which 
homes  they  were  then  obliged  to  abandon  or  sell  for  what 
they  could  get.  And  yet  he  and  men  like  him  claim  to 
despise  and  detest  a  murderer  and  a  thief.  I  tell  you,  he 
has  potentially  murdered  me  a  hundred  times.  All  he 
lacked   was   courage    and   opportunity. 

"I  want  you  to  rid  your  minds  of  the  idea  that  money 
is  what  I  am  after.  (And  yet  what  foolish  sentimen- 
tality this  is,  which  makes  me  wish  to  justify  myself  in  the 
sight  of  Chandler, — to  whom  I  feel  drawn!)  If  you  think 
that  money  was  my  object,  you  were  never  more  wrong  in 
your  lives.  I  have  been  taking  down  Craggie's  words,  with 
the  aid  of  the  little  machine,  for  a  purpose ;  and  since  the 
night  of  the  attack  on  Mr.  Endy  I  have  been  playing  with 
him  as  a  cat  does  with  a  mouse  it  fully  intends  to  destroy. 
In  that  I  have  been  paying  myself  for  having  endured  his 
treatment  for  fifteen  years.  In  order  that  you  may  under- 
stand this  perfectly  I  give  you  permission  to  read  the  copy 
of  the  letter  I  am  going  to  hand  him  at  the  last  moment. 

"I  told  him  that  I  had  appropriated  the  corruption  fund. 
The  fact  is  I  used  it  to  help  support  the  men  I  found  it 
necessary  to  discharge  and  to  lessen  some  of  the  suffering 
caused  by  his  cruel  methods.     Every   dollar    I    this    day 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  255 

possess  has  been  honestly  earned — and  earned  several  times 
over.  The  eight-hundred-thousand  dollars  has  reached  the 
treasury  of  the  Union  in  the  shape  of  anonymous  contri- 
butions from  all  over  the  United  States.  For  this  purpose 
our  recent  trip  suited  me  precisely,  although  the  traveling 
was  about  the  worst  thing  for  me,  physically,  that  could 
have  been.  I  suffered  tortures  every  hour.  But  the 
mental  enjoyment  I  derived  in  various  ways,  and  not  least 
in  seeing  how  the  sums  I  sent  out  seemed  to  stimulate  large 
gifts  by  others,  helped  me  to  hold  out  until  certain  of 
Craggie's   defeat. 

"Whenever  I  could  do  so,  during  this  strike,  I  headed 
off  the  president's  moves.  I  claim  no  credit  for  this.  I 
was  simply  prolonging  his  punishment.  I  took  consider- 
able pleasure  in  doing  this  and  in  using  the  money  as  I 
did.  It  seems  to  me  to  be  poetic  justice  of  the  finest  quality 
that  the  money, — if  we  call  it  Mr.  Craggie's, — should  be 
used  to  defeat  him ;  and  if  we  call  it  the  workingmen's, 
should  be  used  to  help  them  break  the  chains  he  and  other 
rich  men  have  been  slowly  and  surely  forging  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reducing  them  to  absolute  slavery  to  a  class. 

"And  then,  it  made  me  smile  to  think  of  the  impeccable, 
upright  and  honorable  Mr.  Arndt  acting  (though  uncon- 
sciously) as  my  agent  in  the  distribution  of  stolen  money — 
if  you  persist  in  calling  it  that.  I  have  been  in  daily  con- 
tact with  a  rich  man  too  long  to  be  squeamish  about  a 
phrase.  I  have  no  objection  to  a  name.  Only,  please,  be 
impartial :  call  most  of  Craggie's  wealth  by  the  same  title. 

"Mr.  Arndt  will  understand  that  while  I  know  him  to 
be  as  honest  as  a  man  may  be  under  a  system  where  the 
very  earth  on  which  he  lives  has  been  stolen,  still  I  have 
no  use  for  his  high-flown  theories.  It  always  fills  me  with 
pity  to  see  a  man  wasting  his  energies.  Why  doesn't  he  go 
in  for  Socialism  and  have  a  show  of  success,  if  he  believes 
that  men  really  wish  others  to  be  happy  and  prosperous. 
I  assure  you  I  don't  believe  any  such  thing ;  and  if  he  doesn't 
like  what  I  have  done  with  the  money  he  can  get  the  strik- 
ers to  return  it  to  Craggie — or  his  heirs. 

"I  am  somewhat  skilful  in  mechanics  and  handy  with 
tools.  Mr.  Arthur  will  probably  have  found  the  little  secret 
compartment  in  my  room,  back  of  the  berth.     It  was  very 


256  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

easy  to  find  time  and  opportunity  to  take  out  the  decorative 
panel  and  fix  it  so  that  it  would  open  by  pushing  the  spring 
concealed  in  the  moulding  around  it.  You  will  understand 
that  Mr.  Craggie  was  absent  from  the  car  many  times  when 
he  was  supposed  to  be  in  it.  There  were  many  occasions 
when  he  did  not  desire  my  company  or  services.  Read  that 
letter  to  him  and  you  will  know  what  I  did  with  my  time 
on  such  occasions. 

"In  the  compartment  will  be  found  the  little  collapsible 
pasteboard  box  which  assumed  the  size  of  the  daily  package 
of  bills,  and  came  back  to  the  car  every  night  in  my  pocket. 

"The  money  never  left  the  car. 

"I  retired  to  my  room  to  count  it  and  then  fixed  the  box 
in  shape,  and  after  hiding  the  money  I  brought  the  box  out 
and  set  it  on  the  table  in  plain  sight  of  the  president — but 
always  done  up  in  the  identical  wrapper  that  had  covered 
the  bills.  That  is  all  that  you  will  find  there ;  for  the  money, 
corruption  fund  and  all  of  the  other,  is,  as  I  said,  disposed 
of. 

"The  check  enclosed  herewith  is  for  the  full  amount  1 
have  in  the  bank ;  and  this  I  desire  to  have  distributed  pro 
rata  among  the  men  whose  names  will  be  found  on  the 
accompanying  list. 

"These  persons  are  those  whom  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  properly  reward  for  kindnesses  and  services  ren- 
dered. Somehow,  life  always  finds  us  indebted  to  others 
and  Death  catches  us  ever  in  arrears.  I  depend  on  you  to 
carry  out  my  wishes  in  every  particular,  but  especially  as 
regards  these  gifts ;  for  I  know  of  no  other  world  in  which 
one  may  square  accounts.  Had  I,  I  might  have  left  Craggie 
to  the  Ruler  of  it  for  punishment. 

"And  speaking  of  him  leads  me  to  remark  that  I  am 
not  naturally  a  cruel  man ;  but  the  universe  seems  to  be  so 
constructed  and  run  that  a  man  cannot  advance  himself 
without  making  other  people  suffer.  It  is  conceivable  that 
the  Socialist  is  right  and  that  things  might  be  different 
under  his  system.  But  I  have  had  to  take  men  as  I  found 
them  and  society  as  I  found  it.  I  had  no  time  for  theories. 
I  had  Craggie  to  get  even  with  and  punish.  In  my 
progress  through  his  works,  and  in  his  office,  every  time  I 
took  a  step  upward  I  pushed  somebody  off  a  rung  on  the 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  257 

ladder ;  and  in  holding  the  position  of  secretary  all  these 
years  I  have  deprived  just  as  able  men  of  the  position. 
I  have  always  been  sorry  for  them.  I  have  always  been 
sorry  for  the  small  fry  I  have  eaten.  This  is  vastly  more 
than  Craggie,  or  any  millionaire  I  know  of,  can  truthfully 
say. 

"There  are  no  persons  who  have  any  legal  claims  on 
me.  Your  power  of  attorney  will,  I  think,  be  all  that  is 
necessary  to  enable  you  to  carry  out  every  one  of  my 
wishes.  I  hereby  give  to  you  the  little  machine  as  a 
remuneration  for  your  services.     Do  with  it  as  you  will. 

"I  suppose  that  the  hair  found  in  the  hand  of  Mr.  Endy 
has  been  an  unsolved  riddle.  As  I  am  clearing  up  what 
Arthur  has  not  been  able  to  find  out  I  will  tell  yon  this 
also.  The  president  would  strenuously  deny  that  the  hair 
is  his,  but  it  is. 

"We  were  just  leaving  the  Pittsburg  works,  after  the 
telegrams  announcing  the  death  of  MacDonald  had  been 
received,  and  one  of  the  men  overheard  Craggie  remark, 
'Yes  ;  they  will  probably  strike.' 

"'Thank  God  for  that!'  said  the  fellow,  and  Craggie 
turned  and  discharged  him  on  the  spot  and  said  to  me, 
'Find  out  who  he  is,  and  have  him  blacklisted.' 

"We  were  near  the  outer  gate  and  no  one  was,  for  the 
moment,  in  sight.  I  am  such  a  slightly  built  man  that  the 
fellow  did  not  take  me  into  account  at  all,  and  he  just  made 
one  jump  and  caught  Craggie,  and  clutched  him  by  the 
throat. 

"  'A  man  might  just  a  little  better  die  for  killing  such 
a  damnable  nuisance  as  you,  than  to  starve  to  death  for  want 
of  work,'  said  he  as  he  relaxed  his  hold  on  the  throat  so  as 
to  free  his  right  arm,  and  at  the  same  instant  he  clutched 
the  president  by  the  hair  and  drew  back  that  powerful  right 
arm    to   strike. 

"Now,  I  had  a  reason  for  wishing  that  Craggie  should 
not  be  killed  out-of-hand  like  that ;  and  as  I  was  a  little 
behind  his  assailant  and  can  do  some  striking — scientific 
striking — mvself,  that  blow  never  landed. 

"Mine  d'id. 

"Craggie  hastened  to  the  car  as  soon  as  the  man  touched 
the  ground ;  but  I  remained  to  see  whether  he  was  badly 


258  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

hurt.  I  had  not  struck  to  kill  him,  and  soon  brought  him 
to ;  and  in  his  grasp  I  found  the  bunch  of  hairs  which  have 
put  the  detectives  to  so  much  trouble.  I  kept  them — at 
the  time, — not  only  as  a  souvenir  of  the  event,  but  also  in 
order  to  remind  Craggie  at  some  future  day  that  if  I  took 
his  life  I  had  previously  saved  it. 

"Now,  everybody  knows  that  Craggie  has  always  prided 
himself  on  his  personal  popularity  with  the  men  in  his 
employ.  Whether  he  really  believes  the  fiction  and  takes 
the  shouts  and  applause  seriously,  I  have  never  been  able  to 
fully  determine.  Being  Craggie,  it  is  possible  that  he  does. 
I  staid  with  the  man  until  he  had  fully  recovered  and  then 
I  asked  his  name  and  whether  he  had  a  wife  and  children. 
He  said  that  he  had,  but  that  they  were  still  in  the  old 
country.  Then  I  told  him  that  his  chance  in  this  land  of 
the  free  was  gone,  since  I  would  have  to  obey  orders,  and 
I  advised  him  to  leave  at  once.  He  said  that  he  had  not 
much  money  laid  by,  since  he  had  been  sending  a  part  of 
his  wages  each  month  to  his  family ;  and  on  his  promising 
to  take  the  first  steamer  for  Germany  I  handed  him  the  thou- 
sand dollar  bill  I  usually  carry.  But  he  was  afraid  to 
accept  so  large  a  bill,  and  I  went  with  him  to  the  office,  had 
him  properly  discharged,  paid  off  and  blacklisted,  and  then 
I  got  the  bill  broken  into  smaller  notes,  and  when  we  were 
safely  outside,  and  out  of  sight,  I  gave  them  to  him. 

"I  did  my  best  to  pay  for  the  blow,  and  I  know  that 
he  kept  his  word  and  left  immediately  and  never  gave  me 
away ;  and  if  he  has  the  sense  to  remain  in  a  country  where 
only  one  ordinary  kingling  rules  the  roast,  and  not  a — but 
let  that  go! — he  will  do  very  well  and  have  to  thank  me 
for  knocking  him  senseless. 

"I  suppose  that  Craggie  reported  to  Arthur  that  I  had 
fleeced  him  of  a  thousand  the  day  after  the  attack  on  Mr. 
Endy.  That  was  the  thousand  I  gave  to  his  assailant.  If 
he  is  still  alive  tell  him  that.  That  was  a  chance  I  neces- 
sarily missed  to  nag  him. 

"When  I  returned  to  the  car  he  wanted  to  know  what  had 
detained  me  so  long,  and  I  told  him  that  I  had  been  attend- 
ing to  his  orders  in  person ;  and  that  satisfied  him,  and  he 
remarked,  'Mr.  Chambers,  I  will  lx*  under  even  greater  obli- 
gations to  you  than  1  now  am  if  the  Press  does  not  find  out 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  259 

anything  about  this  day's  doings.  To  think  of  being  choked 
and  strangled  and  almost  murdered  by  one  of  the  men  whom 
I  have  been  supporting,  yes,  literally  keeping  alive,  is  hu- 
miliating enough — without  hearing  any  one  talk  about  it. 
I  do  not  know  how  to  sufficiently  thank  you  for  just  simply 
getting  rid  of  the  man  and  not  prosecuting  him  for  criminal 
assault.  I  really  feared  that  your  long  absence  was  caused 
by  some  such  action.' 

"The  next  day  Craggie  changed  from  lay-down  collars  to 
the  extremely  high  and  ultra-fashionable  ones  he  has  since 
affected,  and  it  was  quite  a  while  thereafter  when  he  liad  his 
hair  cutting  and  beard  trimming  attended  to. 

"And  I  think  that  I  will  not  have  to  take  many  words  to 
explain  how,  with  the  knowledge  that  there  would  be  a  spas- 
modic, involuntary  clutching  at  the  air  and  an  instant's 
struggle  for  breath  on  the  part  of  the  person  who  swallowed 
the  drug  then  in  my  possession,  the  thought  to  use  those 
hairs  and  leave  the  label  of  the  bottle  as  if  it  had  slipped 
off  in  the  scuffle,  came  to  me  when  I  heard  Craggie's  words 
about  'anybody  being  killed.' 

"Of  course,  as  it  turned  out,  all  that  plan  went  askew ; 
and  it  cost  me  an  instant's  delay  to  thrust  those  hairs  into 
Mr.  Endy's  hand,  and  that  instant  almost  landed  me  in 
Arndt's  arms. 

"I  think  that  you  can  understand  all  the  rest.  I  must 
hurry  with  what  I  have  yet  to  say  for  the  deposit  vaults  will 
soon  close.     I  must  say  good-bye  to  my  friend. 

"As  I  remarked  before,  I  have  no  particular  love  for 
mankind  in  general.  Those  who  do  not  believe  in  either  Hell 
or  Devil  and  yet  try  to  live  so  as  to  cause  as  little  suffering 
to  others  as  may  be,  show  that  there  is  still  good  stuff  in  the 
race — cropping  out  in  the  few  ;  but  there  is  many  a  man 
walking  straight  enough  today,  solely  because  of  a  cowardly 
fear  of  an  imaginary  devil  or  an  actual  policeman.  Other- 
wise, many  more  of  the  injuries  sustained  by  men  at  the 
hands  of  their  fellows  would  meet  vengeance  here  and  now. 
Still,  my  idea  is  that  they  are  each  doing  about  as  well  as 
could  be  expected  of  them  under  the  circumstances ;  and  I 
really  desire  that  the  sick  and  suffering  shall  get  the  benefit 
I  can  secure  them.  For  this  purpose  I  give  my  body  to 
the  hospital  at  Clyde.     In  the  dissecting  room  the  physicians 


260  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

and  surgeons  may  find  out  something  about  my  disease  that 
will  enable  them  to  lessen  some  poor  fellow's  misery. 

"A  last  word  about  Craggie. 

"He  murdered  and  robbed  my  father  and  should  have 
died  under  any  just  law.  There  was  no  such  law.  All  his 
transactions  in  that  case  were  strictly  legal.  I,  at  least, 
have  secured  his  loss  of  power — and  that — to  him — will  be 
worse  than  death.     Still  he  should  die ! 

"But,  perchance,  you  and  the  strikers  may  not  use  the 
evidence  I  have  placed  in  your  hands.  If  you  let  him 
escape  the  result  of  his  actions  after  I  have  put  him  within 
your  power,  you  will  deserve  the  slavery  he  intends  for  you  ; 
— and  worse  than  that  I  could  not  zvish  you. 

"I  believe  that  is  all. 

ARCHIBALD  CHAMBERS. 

"Afterthought: 

"I  leave  you  one  unsolved  problem.  What  was  Craggie's 
plan  ?     I  do  not  know.      I  know  What,  but  not  How. 

ARCHIBALD  CHAMBERS  REDMOND." 

"That  I  know ;  for  Mr.  Craggie  told  me,"  said  Arthur. 

"I  think  I  know,"  said  Arndt,  and  he  pulled  from  his 
pocket  the  paper  Cassady  had  given  him  and  handed  it  to  the 
others  who  read  the  marked  item  at  the  same  time. 

Arthur  said,  "I  see!  I  might  as  well  have  told  you  all. 
But  what  does  that  last  signature  mean?" 

Arndt  replied,  "Can't  tell  you ;  but  let  us  look  for  that 
letter  to  Mr.  Craggie.  Evidently,  he  thought  that  in  destroy- 
ing the  one  Chambers  gave  to  him  the  world  would  never 
know  the  truth.  He  calculated  without  remembering 
Chambers." 

The  letter  was  soon  discovered,  inside  some  others,  and 
Arthur  read  it  aloud : 

"My  Dear  Mr.  Craggie: 

"I  thus  address  you  because  I  have  given  over  the  idea 
of  killing  you.    To  that  extent  I  have  forgiven  you. 

"Do  you  remember  the  words  of  Byron : 

'For  time  at  last  sets  all  things  even — 
And  if  we  do  but  watch  the  hour, 
There  never  yet  was  human  power 
That  could  evade,  if  unforgiven, 
The  patient  search  and  vigil  long 
Of  him  who  treasures  up  a  wrong?' 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  261 

"Also ;  do  you  remember  one  Jasper  C.  Redmond  ? 

"I  am  his  son. 

"He  was  your  friend. 

"Ten  million  was  what  you  individually  made  by  bank- 
rupting him. 

"He  and  I — I  was  then  nineteen  and  at  school  in  Ger- 
many— came  in  from  a  brisk  walk  in  the  country  one  beau- 
tiful autumn  evening,  and  as  we  passed  the  desk  at  the  hotel 
the  clerk  handed  him  a  telegram  marked  important. 

"He  took  it — went  smiling  to  his  room,  and  an  hour 
afterwards  there  was  heard  a  pistol  shot,  and  I  found  myself 
a  poverty  stricken  orphan  in  a  foreign  land. 

"I  need  not  recall  to  your  mind  the  great  financial  coup 
by  which  you  and  several  others  took  every  cent  of  his 
money  and  added  it  to  your  other  legally-gotten  gains.  I 
have  heard  you  refer  to  it  so  often  as  the  beginning  of  your 
individual  career  that  to  more  than  name  it  would  be  super- 
fluous. 

"Suffice  to  say  that  I  dropped  the  'Redmond,'  and  after 
working  at  whatever  offered  in  Germany  for  two  years — 
during  which  I  matured  my  plans  and  thought  out  a  certain 
little  machine — I  returned  to  my  native  land  and  secured 
a  position,  first  in  your  works  and  soon  in  your  New  York 
office. 

"Since  then  I  have  been  ever  with  you. 

"I  have  but  a  few  words  more  for  you.  There  is  a  large 
box  full  of  the  records  containing  scraps  of  conversations 
gathered  from  time  to  time,  which  will  show  to  the  world 
the  real  motives,  methods  and  final  aims  of  the  millionaire 
rulers  of  this  country.  There  are  many  other  prominent 
men's  words  on  them  besides  yours.  I  have  corroborated  the 
testimony  by  compiling  the  acts  of  legislators,  judges,  gov- 
ernors and  others,  by  documentary  evidence  wherever  it 
could  be  obtained,  and  I  have  put  the  whole  in  the  form  of  a 
book. 

"The  joy  of  the  work  has  been  the  narcotic  that  has 
deadened  the  pain  of  my  mortal  agony  when  at  its  worst — 
at  night. 

"Those  records  will  come  to  the  hands  of  the  proper 
parties  the  day  after  my  death,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
manuscript  of  the  book  entitled  'The  Great  Conspiracy'  will 


262  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

be  delivered  to  the  same  men.      They  are  true  patriots  and 
will  know  what  to  do  with  those  records  and  that  book. 

"There  are  still  several  monarchies  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  where  it  is  not  a  crime  to  work  for  the  overthrow  of 
a  republic  and  the  enslavement  of  its  people ;  or,  possibly, 
since  you  live  but  for  power,  and  power  is  this  day  taken 
from  you,  you  had  better  follow  the  example  I  shall  set  you. 

"A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient ! 

"ARCHIBALD  C.  REDMOND." 

"Redmond?      Redmond?"  said  Arndt. 

"Same  name  as  on  the  assignment  of  the  rights  to  the 
machine  to  Chambers,"  said  Chandler. 

"I  see!"  said  Arndt.    "Arthur  was  right,  once  more." 

And  then  they  placed  on  the  machine  one  after  another 
of  the  accusing  and  condemning  cylinders  and  heard 
brutal,  man-despising  and  treasonable  sentiments  expressed 
until  they  grew  sick  at  heart.  Among  them  was  one  that 
Chandler  had  Arndt  have  the  machine  repeat  and  he  took  it 
down  word  for  word  for  reference. 

First  Chambers'  voice:  "The  Socialists  are  educating 
the  people  to  the  value  and  sacredness  of  the  ballot." 

Then  Mr.  Craggie's :  "The  Socialists  are  a  set  of  ideal- 
ist fools.  The  mass  of  the  people  of  this  and  of  all  lands  are 
and  ever  have  been  totally  unfit  for  the  ballot,  and  I  can  buy 
it  for  twenty-five  cents  a  head  per  vote  from  millions  of  them, 
and  reason  the  majority  into  using  it  my  way  in  a  fifteen- 
minute's  talk.  The  people  are  unfit  for  popular  govern- 
ment. They  have  had  none  of  it  in  this  or  any  land  that  I 
know  of  for,  lo!  these  many  years — and  that  is  why  things 
have  gone  so  well  as  they  have.  We  allow  them  to  change 
a  president  once  in  so  often ;  but  there  have  been  enough 
vacancies  on  the  Supreme  Court  bench  during  the  last  twenty 
years  to  place  that  body  forever  in  my  control.  Oh,  no!  I 
do  not  buy  tJicm.  Not  at  all !  But  I  recommended  some  of 
them,  because  I  already  knew  their  sentiments,  and  the 
others  I  endorsed  after  I  found  out  where  they  stood  as  be- 
tween the  rich  and  the  workers.  And  you  want  to  remem- 
ber that  they  are  in  for  life.  Old  Tom  Jefferson  was  emi- 
nently sane  when  he  said  that  the  liberty  of  this  people  would 
find  its  grave  in  the  federal  judiciary — or  words    to    that 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  263 

effect.  Fortunate  for  us  that  the  people  did  not  believe  him ! 
And  that's  the  way  we  have  escaped  giving  these  people  a 
despotism  like  that  of  the  Czar  of  Russia,  which  is  in  reality 
all  that  any  people  are  fit  for.  Some  men  are  born  to  rule, 
some  to  serve ;  and  the  day  may  come — it  may  be  very  close 
at  hand — when  we  will  drop  the  mask,  enthrone  our  ruler, 
and  have  done  with  foolishness.  In  that  day  /  will  take 
good  care  of  you,  Mr.  Chambers." 

And  as  Chandler  folded  the  paper  and  placed  it  in  his 
pocket  Arndt  said,  "Ready  to  come  with  us,  Harry?" 

"How  now?" 

"I  think  that  you  had  been  rather  worshiping  that  Su- 
preme Court,"  said  Arndt.  "I  enlisted,  heart  and  soul  and 
body  with  the  Socialists  yesterday." 

"And  I,  this  hour — I  am  awake,  wide  awake!"  said 
Chandler. 

"Count  me  in,"  said  Arthur.  "The  Co-Operative  Com- 
monwealth will  be  plenty  good  enough  for  me.  I'm  rather 
tired  of  inequality  and  oppression." 

"Let's  bundle  this  machine  and  all  these  papers  together 
and  take  them  out  to  Robert,"  said  Arndt. 

"Good  idea!"  said  Chandler.  "He  is  in  need  of  some- 
thing to  divert  his  mind  from  his  father's  death ;  and  I  rather 
think  that  this  will  do  it.  There's  nothing  like  having  plenty 
of  light  on  a  subject." 

"Light,  light,  more  light!"  said  Arthur. 

"And  perfect  courage  to  live  up  to  what  we  have !"  said 
Chandler. 

"Amen !"  said  Arndt 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Men  mistake:     It  is  senseless  to  curse  the  Devil; — the  Recording 
Angel  causes  all  the  trouble- 

— Old  Truths  in  New  Clothes. 

It  was  one  o'clock  when  the  three  men  came  out  of  the 
Deposit  Building,  and  they  soon  found  that  things  had  not 
been  standing  still ;  on  the  contrary,  much  had  happened  that 
Arndt  should  have  been  informed  of. 

No  sooner  was  the  death  of  President  Craggie  announced 
than  Martinvale  forgot  all  his  pledges  to  Mr.  Endy  and  com- 
menced to  scheme  and  agitate  to  have  the  men  return  to 
work  under  the  old  order  of  things — of  course,  granting 
them  certain  concessions. 

Under  his  instructions  the  First  Vice  President  of  the 
Corporation  immediately  issued  a  secret  call  for  a  meeting 
of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

That  meeting  was  being  held  while  Arndt  and  the  others 
were  listening  to  the  confession  of  Chambers. 

The  first  intimation  of  it  he  received  was  when  he  was 
handed  a  summons  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  strike  com- 
mittee in  Clyde  to  consider  proposals  from  the  new  presi- 
dent of  the  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  Mr.  Martinvale. 

That  gentleman  had  easily  succeeded  in  convincing  the 
board  that  he  could  end  the  strike ;  and  he  knew  that  if  he 
did  so  he  would  be  elected  to  succeed  himself  at  the  regular 
meeting  to  be  held  in  a  few  days — the  first  of  March. 

The  summons  was  handed  to  Arndt  just  as  he  was  enter- 
ing the  train  for  Steelton,  and  both  he  and  Chandler  left  the 
machine  and  papers  in  charge  of  Arthur  with  instructions  to 
proceed  at  once  with  them  to  the  mansion,  and  to  await  their 
arrival.  Then  they  went  to  the  committee  room  with  all 
speed. 

When  they  entered  they  felt  at  once  that  the  moral  atmos- 
phere of  the  assembly  was  unfavorable  to  them,  and  Arndt 
was  not  one  whit  surprised  to  hear  president  Trueman  ad- 
dress him  very  coldly  and  distinctly:     "Mr.  Arndt,  we  are 

264 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  265 

very  much  surprised  to  learn  that  you  have  so  seriously 
displeased  the  new  president  that  he  makes  it  a  condition  pre- 
cedent to  dealing  with  us  at  all  that  you  be  dropped  from  this 
committee.  Of  course,  after  your  faithful  services  and  gen- 
erous sacrifices  for  the  workingmen's  cause  in  the  past,  we 
would  not  take  such  action ;  but " 

There  was  quite  a  pause,  and  Arndt  did  not  help  him  by 
even  a  motion  of  the  lips.  Then  Trueman  said,  "You  know 
that  I,  personally,  insisted  on  your  being  on  the  sub-commit- 
tee, and  I  did  so  because  I  considered  that  you  were  one  of 
the  men  that  were  and  would  be  beyond  the  reach  and  in- 
fluence of  the  Socialist  element  in  our  body — and, " 

"Did  Mr.  Martinvale  tell  you  what  caused  me  to  enlist 
under  the  Socialist  banner?"  Arndt  interrupted  him  and 
asked. 

"No,  Sir,  and  I  do  not  think  that  anything  could  justify 
such  a  course." 

"Permit  me,  Sir,  to  believe  that  you  are  patriot  enough  to 
change  your  mind  if  Mr.  Martinvale  would  tell  you  the 
whole  truth  about  it,"  said  Arndt  as  he  walked  towards  the 
table  in  the  center  of  the  room  around  which  the  commit- 
tee were  seated.  And  then  he  sat  down — without  removing 
his  overcoat — and  wrote  a  resignation  which  he  handed  to 
the  secretary. 

When  he  arose  he  said,  "I  hope  that  I  shall  always  love 
the  cause  of  the  laborer  enough  to  sacrifice  anything  I  have 
or  am  or  am  honored  with,  in  his  interest.  I  regret  deeply 
that  in  this  instance  I  am  obliged  to  conclude  that  what  is 
going  to  be  done  by  his  representatives  is  diametrically  op- 
posed to  his  very  existence.  I  know  Martinvale.  He  is 
Craggie  multiplied  ten  fold.  He  will  probably  offer  you  all 
that  we  felt  able  to  demand  at  the  beginning  of  this  strike, 
in  exchange  for  a  pledge  that  there  shall  be  no  strike  for 
five  years " 

He  paused  and  glanced  around  the  table  and  saw  that  he 
had  hit  the  mark,  and  then  he  proceeded,  "I  will  tell  you 
plainly,  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  the  Union  never  gave 
you  power  or  authority  to  decide  for  them  in  any  such  mat- 
ter. But  that  you  would  be  sustained  by  the  courts  of  this 
country  in  usurping  power  I  have  not  a  doubt.  And  I  am 
here  to  tell  you  that  if  Martinvale  is  to  have  his  way  without 


266  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

even  the  right  to  strike  for  five  years,  he  will,  with  the  aid 
of  the  other  rich  men  of  this  country,  have  his  plans  so 
nicely  adjusted  that  when  the  Socialists  win — as  they  cer- 
tainly will  at  the  next  presidential  election — you  will  find 
yourselves  with  a  president  who  refuses  to  step  down  and 
out,  on  your  hands;  and  I  think  that  all  of  you  are  intelli- 
gent enough  to  know  what  that  signifies." 

He  turned  to  leave  the  room ;  but  Chandler  said,  "Wait  a 
moment  Charlie,"  and  then  Chandler  turned  to  the  com- 
mittee and  said,  "Gentlemen,  I  believe  that  this  is  the  most 
sorrowful  moment  of  my  life.  I  have  this  day  and  yester- 
day listened  to  evidence  which  makes  it  impossible  to  hope 
for  any  real  freedom  for  the  workingman  outside  of  the  Co- 
operative Commonwealth,  for  which  the  Socialist  is  work- 
ing. Of  course,  I  realize  that  you  have  not  heard  all  of  this 
evidence ;  but  certainly,  enough  has  come  to  your  knowledge 
during  this  strike  to  convince  you  of  the  truth  of  what  I  say. 
I  repeat  that  I  am  sorrowful.  It  is  because  I  had  hoped  to 
work  actively  hand  in  hand  with  you  to  the  end  of  my  life. 
But  the  same  objection  that  is  urged  against  Arndt  will  pre- 
vent my  enjoying  your  full  confidence  as  heretofore — without 
that  no  man  can  serve  you  as  you  should  be  served — I  there- 
fore resign  as  your  counsel  and  will  hand  over  all  papers  in 
my  possession  to  your  duly  accredited  representative  at  any 
time  you  may  designate." 

Five  of  those  sitting  there  astonished  Trueman  by  rising 
and  saying  that  they  could  no  longer  serve  if  Arndt  was  not 
retained.  That  left  barely  a  quorum,  (and  although  entirely 
illegal)  it  was  that  quorum  that,  without  waiting  to  have  the 
places  of  the  others  filled,  accepted  Martinvale's  proposals — 
he  assuring  them  beforehand  of  the  endorsement  of  their 
action  by  the  courts. 

There  was  wild  rejoicing  throughout  the  land  within  an 
hour.  The  news  that  the  great  strike  was  over,  that  the 
most  favorable  terms  had  been  granted  the  men,  that  all 
except,  perhaps,  a  handful  of  malcontents  were  entirely  sat- 
isfied, that  there  would  be  no  strike  for  five  years,  and 
much  more,  was  flashed  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
country ;  and  Trueman  and  his  associates  were  loudly  praised 
for  having  had  the  courage  to  exceed  their  authority — for  at 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  267 

that  early  stage  it  was  not  denied  by  anyone  that  they  had 
done  so.  ,    . 

And  Arndt  said  sadlv  to  Chandler  as  they  took  their 
seats  in  the  dining  car  of  the  two-thirty  express :  "You  may 
depend  on  it,  the  papers  will  not  have  type  large  enough  to 
chronicle  what  they  will  truly  call  'Martinvale's  victory.' 
When  will  it  dawn  on  the  workers  that  it  is  surely  their 
defeat  if  it  is  his  victory?" 

"That  is  just  what  the  Socialist  has  always  been  telling 
us,  and  that  is  just  what  you  and  I,  no  longer  ago  than 
yesterdav  refused  to  see — don't  forget  that,  Comrade !"  said 
Chandler  hopefully,  "and  therefore  there  is  great  probability 
that  the  remainder  of  the  race  will  see  it  some  day,  in  due 

time."  . 

But  Arndt  was  terribly  cast  down ;  and  he  was  induced  to 
take  a  more  hopeful  view  of  things  only  when  reminded  of 
the  evidence  they  had  now  in  hand  to  prove  the  truth  of  their 
assertion,  and  the  absolutely  incontrovertible  shape  in  which 
Chambers  had  placed  it. 

"That  is  the  encouraging  feature,"  said  Arndt.  1011 
are  right ;  for  although  most  of  us  have  known  many  of  the 
things  the  little  machine  recorded,  our  knowledge  has  here- 
tofore never  been  in  a  shape  that  we  could  use  it.  To  show 
up  this  or  that  rascality  or  violation  of  the  law,  to  be  abso- 
lutely convinced  of  the  purchasing  of  a  judge  or  a  legisla- 
ture,'did  no  good.  There  was  always  the  law  that  they  them- 
selves had  framed  and  passed  that  closed  the  mouth  of  the 
living — but  how  are  they  going  to  prevent  the  dead  ;  how  are 
they  going  to  hush  a  machine  speaking  with  the  voice  of 
Craggie  ?" 

When  they  arrived  at  Steelton  there  was,  of  course,  no 
carriage  to  meet  them  at  the  station  and  so  they  walked 
bv  the  way  of  the  river  road  to  the  mansion.  It  did  Arndt 
good  to  hear  the  wash  of  the  water  against  the  bank  of  the 
stream,  every  inch  of  which  was  familiar  to  him.  The  trees 
seemed  like  faithful  friends,  the  very  sparrows  seemed  like 
acquaintances,  and  their  harsh  voices  did  not  jar  on  him. 

As  thev  passed  the  MacDonald  house  Chandler  said,  "I 
suppose  you  will  be  married  to  Miss  Nettie  soon.  Is  it  her 
intention"  to  tear  down  the  old  house  and  build  a  larger  and 
more  commodious  one?" 


268  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

Arndt  replied,  "Really,  Harry,  I  cannot  tell  you  anything 
as  to  the  first,  for  there  has  been  so  little  time  since  her 
recovery  in  which  to  plan  anything ;  but  as  to  that  last,  I  can 
say  positively  that  I  know  her  mind  well  enough  to  assure 
you  that  whatever  the  amount  of  money  left  by  her  father 
may  be,  her  and  my  manner  of  life  shall  not  be  changed.  I 
have  always  been  a  workingman,  I  will  always  be  a  work- 
ingman,  and  will  never  adopt  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  rich.  Besides,  we  are  entirely  consecrated  to  the  cause 
of  Socialism,  and  the  cause  will  need  much  money  as  well  as 
hard  work.  You  can  rely  upon  it  that  we  will  live  as  simply 
and  as  unostentatiously  as  may  be — and  that  every  cent  of 
the  income  shall  be  used  each  year.  My  preference  would, 
of  course,  be  to  go  back  into  the  works  and  earn  my  daily 
bread  as  before ;  but  Martinvale  will  be  sure  to  prevent  that. 
I  think  he  would  even  head  me  off  abroad — unless  I  dropped 
my  name  and  secured  a  position  under  an  alias,  and  that  I 
will  never  do.  In  a  measure  I  am  forced  to  do  as  Hart- 
leigh  wishes ;  but  we  have  already  felt  the  mailed  hand  of 
the  rich,  and  I  now  know  that  a  struggle  lies  ahead  of  us — 
but  Nettie  will  never  be  a  source  of  weakness  to  me,  and  we 
need  each  other.  It  will  depend  entirely  on  her  as  to  when 
we  are  married." 

When  they  reached  the  mansion  they  found  that  Arthur 
had  arrived  safely  and  that  during  the  morning  a  large  box 
directed  to  Robert  Endy  had  arrived  by  express  from  Clyde. 
Thinking  that  it  was  for  him  Robert  had  at  once  caused  it  to 
be  opened,  and  of  course  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  the 
cylinders  since  they  would  not  fit  any  phonograph  or  other 
style  of  talking  machine  he  had  ever  seen.  But  the  book, 
which  was  packed  in  with  the  cylinders,  he  could  very  well 
understand,  and  until  Arthur's  arrival  he  had  been  engrossed 
in  reading  it.  Great  as  was  his  astonishment  at  the  con- 
tents of  the  book  it  would  have  been  infinitely  greater  had  he 
not  been  prepared  for  something  of  the  kind  by  what  Arthur 
had  told  him. 

But  even  so,  it  at  times  seemed  incredible  that  such  senti- 
ments as  were  therein  expressed  had  been  harbored,  much 
less  uttered,  by  an  American  citizen  ;  and  when  Chandler  and 
Arndt  arrived  they  were  at  once  shown  to  Robert's  room 
where  they  found  him  and  Arthur  listening  to  a  conversation 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  269 

— or  at  least  to  scraps  from  it — that  had  at  one  time  taken 
place  between  Mr.  Craggie  and  a  former  president  of  the 
United  States.  As  soon  as  he  saw  them  Robert  said  :  "This  is 
the  most  marvelous  little  machine,  and  the  story  it  tells  is  the 
most  astounding  revelation,  that  ever  was.  After  hearing 
what  Arthur  had  to  communicate  about  Chambers'  confes- 
sion I  willingly  admit  that  I  do  not  know  in  what  condition 
my  mind  is  as  to  him — and  I  feel  for  him  what  I  never 
thought  to  feel  for  the  man  that  struck  my  father.  But  what 
are  we  to  do  with  this  book  and  these  records?" 

"Do  with  them  ?"  asked  all  the  men  together ;  and  Arndt 
hastened  to  add,  "Why  surely,  Robert,  that  is  easy  to  an- 
swer :  we  must  publish  the  book  as  soon  as  may  be  and  sub- 
stantiate what  it  says  by  public  lectures  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  this  land — and  perhaps  even  in  foreign  coun- 
tries— and  these  lectures  shall  be  reinforced  by  the  actual 
language  of  those  men  as  recorded  on  the  cylinders." 

But  Robert  said  decidedly,  "That  sounds  very  convinc- 
ing, but,  have  you  any  desire  to  be  shot  at  sunrise  some  fine 
morning  with  nothing  at  all  accomplished?  Let  me  tell  you, 
Charlie,  my  years  of  close  connection  and  communication 
with  the  men  who  are  at  the  head  of  affairs  teaches  me  to  go 
rather  circumspectly  about  telling  the  whole  truth  publicly. 
I  don't  believe  that  if  such  a  lecture  were  announced  fifteen 
minutes  before  it  was  to  be  uttered,  or  if  the  book  were  pub- 
lished secretly  and  then  we  should  attempt  to  send  it  out, 
that  the  lecture  would  ever  be  delivered  or  the  book  reach  the 
parties  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  But  I  have  no  desire  to 
influence  you  in  the  matter.  I  am  speaking  for  the  good  of 
the  cause.  I  would  like  a  consultation  at  once  on  this  sub- 
ject. Now,  what  do  you  say  to  sending  for  Kenedy  and  for 
King  and  having  him  bring  from  Clyde  old  Hartleigh  the 
Socialist  editor,  who  has  been  a  worker  in  the  ranks,  as 
well  as  an  influential  man  in  the  party  for  many  years.  Let 
them  all  meet  here  tonight.  There  will  be  plenty  of  time  for 
them  to  catch  the  train  that  arrives  at  Steelton  at  eight. 
Father  will  not  be  buried  until  day  after  tomorrow,  in  order 
to  give  time  for  some  relatives  from  the  East  to  arrive.  We 
cannot  wait  till  after  that  to  attend  to  this,  and  so  it  might  be 
just  as  well  done  at  once;  it  will  be  only  going  immediately 


270  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

about  the  work  he  desired  me  to  do,  and  is  surely  better  than 
mourning  about  what  I  nor  any  one  can  change." 

Arthur  spoke  up :  "I  think  that  you  are  entirely  right  Mr. 
Endy.  1  had  not  considered  the  possibility  of  not  using  the 
evidence  furnished  by  Chambers ;  but  would  it  not  be  well 
to  invite  Trueman  to  be  with  us  ?" 

"A  capital  idea !'"  said  Robert. 

Arndt  said  sadly,  "Chandler,  tell  them  why  it  would  be 
of  no  use.  I  will  see  to  sending  the  telegrams  to  King  and 
Hartleigh  at  once."     And  he  left  the  room. 

To  say  that  Robert  was  astounded  at  what  Chandler  then 
told  would  not  be  adequate.  He  was  dumbfounded.  It 
was  Arthur  who  first  found  words  to  express  his  scathing 
opinion  of  Martinvale's  deliberately  breaking  his  word  and 
taking  advantage  of  Mr.  Endy's  death  to  prevent  Robert 
and  those  his  father  had  represented  from  having  any  oppor- 
tunity to  reorganize  the  company. 

When  Robert  did  speak  his  wrath  was  directed  straight 
at  the  men  who  had  once  more  sold  their  brethren  into 
slavery  and  helped  to  rivet  new  chains  on  them.  Of  some 
of  the  members  of  the  committee  it  could  be  said  that  what 
they  had  done  was  done  in  ignorance,  but  all  men  knew 
that  Trueman  and  several  of  the  more  influential  men  on 
that  committee  had  simply  sacrificed  their  fellows  in  order 
to  stamp  out  the  Socialism  they  hated  so  intensely.  Even 
Robert  in  his  most  angry  moment  did  not  accuse  Trueman 
of  receiving  a  bribe  in  any  shape  or  form — though  he 
knew  that  Trueman  or  some  of  his  friends  or  relatives 
would  be  well  taken  care  of  and  provided  for  in  the  future. 

When  he  was  somewhat  relieved  by  the  free  expression 
of  his  opinions  he  said.  "I  sincerely  pity  Arndt.  This  is, 
I  know,  the  most  severe  blow  he  has  ever  received.  He  is 
as  honest  as  the  day  is  long — to  use  father's  favorite  ex- 
pression,— and  he  thought  of  but  two  objects,  I  verily  be- 
lieve; Nettie  MacDonald  and  the  Union.  Of  course,  he  is 
still  in  the  Union;  hut  how  can  he  work  there  with  any 
heart  after  such  infamous  treatment." 

Then  he  turned  to  Chandler  and  said,  "You  are  still 
counsel  for  the  Union?" 

"No;  I  enlisted  in  the  Socialist  ranks  this  morning  and 
resigned  that  office  immediately  after  the  committee  slapped 


THE  RECORDING  AXGEL  271 

Arndt  in  the  face.  But  I  think  that  no  one  need  envy  True- 
man  and  his  followers.  Just  wait  until  the  grievances, 
which  are  sure  to  come,  pile  up  beyond  endurance,  and  then 
the  workers  will  realize  that  they  dare  not  do  a  thing  to 
shake  off  the  burden ;  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  that  will 
be  the  time  to  let  them  know  that  if  those  men  had  waited 
the  little  space  between  the  twenty-fourth  of  February  and 
the  first  of  March  every  one  of  the  concessions  they  have 
now  secured,  and  more,  would  have  been  granted,  and  the 
whole  management  of  the  works  reorganized ; — and  then 
will  be  the  day  of  retribution  for  Trueman." 

"I  agree  with  you,"  said  Robert ;  "but  what  I  asked 
the  question  for  was  to  know  whether  you  were  free  to 
work  for  me  as  you  had  been  for  my  father.  If  so,  I  de- 
sire that  you  continue  right  on.  I  hold  the  money,  lands 
and  properties  all  in  trust  for  a  sacred  cause ;  and  so  long  as 
we  are  compelled  to  live  under  this  accursed  system  I  de- 
sire that  they  shall  all  be  as  productive  as  possible :  the 
cause  is  going  to  need  every  penny  it  can  get,  and  judging 
by  the  action  of  the  representatives  of  the  workers  this  day 
the  only  way  to  convince  them  of  the  iniquity  of  the  system 
is  to  show  them  that  they  simply  cannot  continue  under  it 
and  live.  My  father  said  that  I  was  a  hard  man.  He  was 
right.  I  was  hard  in  a  devilish  cause.  I  have  heard  it  said 
that  no  lesson  of  life  is  needless  or  lost.  From  this  day  I 
shall  as  far  as  possible  give  the  hardness  that  survives  in 
me  a  chance  to  work.  It  shall  operate  to  the  giving  an 
object  lesson  to  the  workers.  I  will  be  as  tender  as  God 
himself  to  the  workers  who  have  the  courage  and  manli- 
ness to  stand  up  for  their  rights  under  the  despised  banner 
of  Socialism ;  but  let  the  man,  rich  or  poor,  that  comes 
under  my  power  and  who  believes  that  this  earth  was  made 
for  but  the  few,  beware:  I  shall  exact  from  him  the  law's 
utmost  farthing." 

"I  accept  gladly,"  said  Chandler.  "I  have  a  growing 
clientage  and  business  is  good ;  but  some  of  it  will,  of  course, 
fall  off  on  account  of  today's  action." 

Then  they  set  the  machine  going  and  listened  to  the  cor- 
roborating words  that  testified  to  the  accuracy  of  the  book. 

Meanwhile,  Arndt  on  going  to  the  library  to  write  the 
telegrams,   found  Nettie  there  reading.       She  arose  to  go 


272  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

when  he  entered,  but  he  said,  "Wait,  dear,  if  you  can ;  I 
would  like  to  speak  to  you  as  soon  as  these  telegrams  are 
on  their  way.  Or,  perhaps,  you  had  better  bring  Annie  here, 
so  that  I  can  tell  both  of  you  at  once." 

They  were  already  seated  when  he  returned  from  giv- 
ing the  messages  to  Rollins  and  he  then  told  them  all  about 
the  day's  doings,  and  he  confessed  that  it  was  rather  pleas- 
ant to  be  commiserated  with  as  they  commiserated  him ; 
and  when  Annie  saw  that  there  was  nothing  more  to  tell, 
she  said,  "I  am  doubly  thankful  that  you  have  a  cause  that 
will  take  all  your  thought  and  strength,  and  that  will  not 
leave  you  time  to  brood  over  this  affair." 
And  then   she  left  the  room. 

As  soon  as  she  was  gone  Arndt  said,  "Little  sweet- 
heart, I  do  not  like  to  intrude  on  your  sorrow  at  the  loss 
of  a  dear  friend  just  now,  but  you  see  that  things  are  hap- 
pening in  spite  of  us  and  that  we  cannot  secure  the  breath- 
ing space  we  need.  If  you  have  no  objection  I  would  like 
to  hear  of  your  plans  for  the  immediate  future  so  that  I 
can  shape  my  actions  accordingly.  You  see,  I  have  told 
you  everything — even  my  thoughts — just  as  in  the  olden 
days,  and  I  lack  but  the  same  thing  from  you  to  make  me 
forget  even  the  disagreeables  of  today." 

She  came  to  where  he  was  sitting  and  placed  her  hand 
in  his  and  he  arose  and  put  his  arm  about  her,  and  thus 
they  walked  up  and  down  the  long  room  as  they  talked ; 
and  then  each  knew  that  the  days  of  partial  estrangement 
were  over. 

After  a  little  while  she  said,  "I  think  that  we  should 
be  married  soon,  but  first  there  must  be  the  days  of  mourn- 
ing for  my  father  and  my  second  father.  Were  it  not 
for  that  I  am  ready  now :  I  am  yours  and  you  are  mine ! 
And  I  will  tell  you  how  I  mean  to  employ  those  days. 
Not  in  idly  shedding  tears,  not  in  wearing  black  and  sit- 
ting down  with  folded  hands.  Annie  and  I  have  planned 
it  all.  You  see,  she  never  has  talked  to  me  of  Socialism 
as  she  did  to  all  the  others.  She  knew  that  I  had  in- 
herited all  my  father's  hatred  and  distrust  of  anything  that 
even  hinted  at  the  supplanting  of  the  present  system — 
and  then  also,  she  knew  that  my  tired  brain  demanded  rest 
and  quiet.     During  all  these  months  I  have  heard  not  one 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  273 

word  from  her  on  the  subject,  Several  times  I  overheard 
her  arguing  with  Dr.  Kenedy,  and,  since  we  have  been 
here,  with  Mr.  Endy — but  never  when  I  was  in  the  room.  So, 
now,  you  see,  lover  mine!  (And  how  his  heart  leaped  to 
hear  the  old,  endearing  term!)  I  joined  the  Comrade  army 
and  gave  my  hand  to  the  others  on  trust:  what  thing  is 
good  enough  for  such  a  man  as  my  second  father  was, 
and  what  thing  is  good  enough  for  such  a  man  as  my 
lover  is,   is   good  enough  for  me." 

"May  I  ever  be  worthy  of  your  trust!"  said  Arndt  as 
he  stooped  and  kissed  her.  And  then  they  resumed  their 
walk. 

"But  see !"  said  Nettie.  "There  must  be  equality  between 
us,  else  how  can  I  uphold  your  hand  and  stay  your  heart. 
And  if  I  do  not  know  the  reasons  and  do  not  become 
acquainted  with  the  work  that  is  being  done  and  that  is 
yet  to  do,  how  can  I  be  to  you  what  I  have  been  in  bygone 
days,  or  what  I  mean  to  be  in  days  to  come." 

The  first  rays  of  the  rising  moon  were  shining  in  at 
the  window,  and  they  turned  their  steps  that  way  and 
stood  as  they  had  walked,  and  then  she  said: 

"This  is  the  plan:  I  am  going  to  Clyde  with  Annie. 
We  are  going  to  have  rooms  in  Mr.  Hartleigh's  house — 
the  money  we  will  be  able  to  pay  him  will  not  come  amiss 
to  the  family,  Annie  tells  me — and  I  am  going  to  study, 
and  I  am  going  to  visit  with  her  among  the  poor  and  go 
to  Socialist  lectures,  and  we  will  talk  to  Editor  Hartleigh 
and  even  help  him  whenever  he  will  let  us;  and  so  the 
days  will  be  very  full  of  work  and  learning,  and,  someday 
I  shall,  perhaps,  take  my  pen  in  hand  and  write  to  one 
I  know,  and  say,  'Dear  lover  mine,  your  bride  is  ready 
now;'     And  don't  you  think  that  lover  will  be  glad?" 

"I  do  not  think,  I  know,"  said  Arndt. 

And  then  they  stood  in  silence  for  a  little  while  and  gazed 
across  the  park  towards  the  house  on  the  river  road,  and  the 
thoughts  of  each  were  there. 

Finally  she  said :  "I  will  be  pleased  if  you  can  make  your 
plans  so  that  no  matter  where  we  may  have  to  go  in  the  carry- 
ing on  of  your  and  my  life-work  we  shall  always  keep  the  old 
homestead  as  Home." 


274  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

And  without  waiting  for  him  to  reply  she  kissed  him  and 
ieft  the  room. 

He  heard  her  address  Annie  in  the  hall  and  then  they  both 
said  good-night  to  him,  and  he  lit  a  cigar  and  sat  there  in  the 
moonlight  until  he  heard  the  carriage  arrive  that  had  been 
sent  to  the  depot  for  the  expected  guests. 

His  message  to  King  had  been  as  explicit  as  he  dared 
make  it;  but  to  Hartleigh  he  had  said  simply:  'Tut  a  bunch 
of  membership  blanks  in  your  pocket  and  meet  me  at  the 
Endy  mansion  at  eight  tonight." 

He  greeted  both  men  cheerfully  and  cordially  and  then 
Hartleigh — in  a  very  subdued  tone — said:  "Where  are  we  to 
go ;  is  the  meeting  going  to  be  a  big  one ;  how  many  addi- 
tions to  the  party  do  you  think  ?" 

"You  are  at  your  journey's  end ;  make  yourself  comfort- 
able; I  can't  say  that  the  number  of  additions  will  be  large. 
but  I  think  you  will  be  satisfied,"  said  Arndt. 

As  soon  as  Kenedy  arrived  they  assembled  in  the  library 
and  Arndt  brought  in  the  little  machine  and  placed  it  on  the 
center  table  and  then  explained  matters  in  as  few  words  as 
possible. 

Then  Robert  opened  the  book  and  told  how  he  had  re- 
ceived it  and  said,  "As  a  preface  to  the  book  Chambers  has 
a  certificate  from  the  University  of  Heidelberg  stating  that 
he  had  undergone  a  test  extraordinary — at  his  own  request 
— in  the  matter  of  the  capability  of  the  human  memory,  and 
that  after  once  hearing  he  repeated  ten  pages  of  a  scientific 
work  then  in  process  of  compilation  which  he  had  never  seen 
or  heard  before,  and  that  he  repeated  the  matter  again  at  the 
expiration  of  forty-eight  hours.  It  seems  incredible ;  but 
there  is  the  certificate.  When  we  remember  that  he  had  this 
machine  in  mind  and  that  it  was  a  part  of  a  plan,  I  think 
we  can  understand  why  he  wanted  that  test  made  and  that 
certificate  granted.  Of  course,  in  lengthy  conversation,  the 
little  machine  could  not  take  down  but  a  portion  here  and 
there  because  he  never  knew  when  he  might  be  able  to  replace 
the  cylinder  without  fear  of  detection,  and  so  he  had  it  record 
the  most  vitally  important  parts,  simply  to  corroborate  his 
unimpeachable  memory." 

Chandler  said:  "I  have  been  listening  to  some  of  the  rev- 
elations the  machine  has  to  make,  and  before  Arndt  puts  on 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  275 

the  first  cylinder  I  will  state  that  while  examining  that  most 
wonderful  piece  of  mechanism  I,  without  thought,  turned  it 
bottom  upward  and  found  its  name  on  the  silver  plate  fast- 
ened there." 

Arndt  immediately  tilted  the  machine  and  read :  "The  Re- 
cording Angel !''  and  then  without  comment,  he  fixed  a 
cylinder  in  place  and  touched  the  lever;  and  not  a  man  of 
them  said  a  word. 

After  they  had  heard  several  portions  read  from  the  book 
and  thus  substantiated  by  the  machine  they  put  it  to  one  side 
and  one  after  another  read  aloud  from  the  book.  When  mid- 
night struck  they  were  not  half  through  and  Robert  said : 
"Shall  we  retire,  Gentlemen?" 

King  replied  instantly,  "I  for  one,  would  like  to  finish  it 
tonight.  I  am  obliged  to  be  in  Clyde  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment  tomorrow  or  rather,  today ;  and  we  cannot  do  better 
than  to  hear  all  he  has  to  tell  us  at  once." 

All  agreed  to  this  and  the  reading  was  resumed ;  and  be- 
cause they  read  steadily  and  without  interruption  the  last 
word  had  been  heard  and  the  book  was  closed  at  half-after- 
two. 

Then  Arndt  stated  that  they  wanted  advice  as  to  the  dis- 
position to  be  made  of  the  book  and  the  machine  and  the 
records. 

It  was  noteworthy  that  not  one  of  them  seemed  to  be  in 
any  doubt  as  to  there  being  at  least  two  sides  to  that  ques- 
tion ;  and  Hartleigh  expressed  the  state  of  mind  of  most  of 
them  when,  after  a  little  hesitation,  he  said:  "I  will  confess 
that  if  you  had  asked  me  that  immediately  after  hearing  the 
Johnson  interview  I  should  have  thought  you  were  losing 
your  minds.  At  first  I  was  congratulating  the  Socialist  cause 
with  all  my  heart ;  but  a  thing  of  this  kind  can  be  too  big. 
It  is  like  the  chemist  and  his  combinations — he  don't  know 
what  the  next  one  may  produce.  Now,  I,  for  one,  think 
that,  especially  at  this  time  when  Trueman  has  sold  out  the 
workers  and  Martinvale  has  most  of  them  fooled,  it  would  be 
the  height  of  folly  to  publish  the  book  or  even  to  let  more 
than  a  trusted  few  know  of  its  existence.  I  will  say  that  I 
feel  immeasurably  stronger  as  a  Socialist  since  hearing  the 
machine  talk.  Always,  there  are  many  things  that  we  edi- 
tors know  well  enough  but  would  find  it  difficult  to  prove, 


276  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

and  as  things  are  now  we  are  compelled  to  simply  hint  at 
them  or  pass  them  by.  Hereafter  I  shall  not  hint.  And 
the  mere  fact  that  I  speak  boldly  will  cause  our  opponents  to 
fear  to  call  our  hand.  But  let  us  let  it  rest  at  that  until  the 
dawning  of  the  day  that  inaugurates  the  Co-Operative  Com- 
monwealth. Then  it  may  all  be  published,  to  be  handed 
down  as  the  only  unimpeachable  history  ever  known  in  this 
world.  The  people  of  this  country  lack  education  in  the 
fundamental  principles  of  Socialism  ;  we  are  working  day  and 
night  to  give  it  to  them ;  and  they  are  getting  it  and  absorbing 
it  about  as  fast  as  we  could  reasonably  expect — for  the  mass 
of  men  are,  and  continually  show  themselves  still  to  be,  very 
like  the  cows  and  horses  and  hogs  on  my  little  farm ;  not  con- 
tent with  plenty,  but  fighting  to  get  more  than  plenty  for 
fear  that  they  will  not  get  enough.  That  is  the  direct  result 
of  capitalism,  and  I  can  blame  no  man  for  trying  to  insure  his 
own  future  and  the  future  of  his  children  in  the  old  and  only 
way  possible  under  capitalism.  But  we  must  educate  them  to 
the  better  way,  the  way  of  Equality.  Now,  the  revelations  of 
this  book  would  divert  their  minds  from  that  education — and 
it  is  fundamentally  necessary  to  them  and  to  the  permanent 
success  of  our  cause — and  would,  in  all  probability,  when 
they  realized  that  under  the  plans  and  purposes  of  the  rich 
they  were  in  the  future  to  stand  no  show  whatever  to  secure 
plenty  for  themselves  or  their  children,  stir  them  up  to  open 
revolt.  This,  of  all  things,  the  Socialist  dreads  and  depre- 
cates. This  will  never  be  if  he  can  prevent  it.  Those  who 
refuse  to  distinguish  between  him  and  the  Anarchist  are 
either  ignorant  tools  or  deliberate  liars,  or,  perhaps,  paid 
knaves.  I  run  up  against  all  three  of  them  every  day,  and 
some  days  the  latter  are  by  far  the  most  numerous." 

Robert  said :  "I  would  like  to  hear  how  it  appears  to  you, 
Doctor  King.  You  have  not  mixed  in  politics  and  will  be 
able  to  give  us  an  unbiased  opinion  as  a  man  of  trained  scien- 
tific mind,  and  as  a  citizen." 

King  replied  promptly,  "Perhaps  I  can  best  answer  you 
by  telling  how  the  hearing  of  that  mass  of  testimony  affected 
me.  You  know  that  I  have  heretofore  withstood  all  argu- 
ments presented  by  the  Socialists — and  simply  because  I  be- 
lieved that  reform  was  still  possible.  Well,  I  am  with  the 
Socialists  from  this  minute,  heart  and  soul.  So  far,  so  good ! 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  277 

But  I  have  always  been  a  hearty  and  wholesouled  Peace-man. 
and  yet  I  reached  a  stage  while  listening  to  that  evidence, 
where,  if  the  call  to  arms  to  resist  such  men  as  Craggie  had 
been  sounded  in  my  ears,  I  would  have  enlisted  on  the  spot. 
I  still  love  and  believe  in  Peace ;  but  there  is  not  and  cannot 
be  Peace  where  there  is  Slavery.  A  man  had  better  be 
dead  than  be  a  slave — or  a  slave  driver !  And  I  want  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  fact  that  I  reached  the  fighting  stage 
first.  Now,  I  am  rather  cool  blooded,  and  if  it  affected  me 
in  that  way  I  ask  you  to  consider  what  would  be  its  effect 
on  the  inflammable  mass  that  tolerates  present  conditions  in 
the  hope  of  a  morrow  that  that  testimony  shows  it  is  the 
intention  of  the  rich  shall  never  dawn  for  the  workers.  I 
think  Mr.  Hartleigh's  advice  is  admirable,  and  I  hope  that 
those  to  whom  the  care  of  the  machine  and  book  and  papers 
have  been  entrusted  will  see  their  way  clear  to  following 
it." 

Hartleigh  caused  a  smile  and  a  little  amusement  by  shak- 
ing hands  with  King  and  immediately  offering  him  a  mem- 
bership blank,  saying,  "I  never  miss  a  chance,  Doctor — carry 
them  about  with  me  day  and  night — but  I  had  no  idea  that  I 
was  going  to  bag  such  big  game  tonight."  And  he  then 
and  there  had  each  of  the  others  sign  and  fill  out  his  applica- 
tion, except  Arndt,  who  had  already  attended  to  the  matter 
when  he  consulted  with  Hartleigh  about  his  future  work. 

Before  they  retired  for  a  few  hours'  rest  Chandler  drew 
up  a  paper  which  he  and  Arndt  afterwards  executed  which 
assigned  the  machine  and  the  book  and  papers  to  the  Co-Op- 
erative Commonwealth  and  added  the  names  of  all  those  pres- 
ent as  trustees  and  custodians  of  everything  left  by  Cham- 
bers. The  paper  stipulated  that  the  successor  of  each  or 
any  of  them  should  be  chosen  by  a  majority  vote  of  the 
others,  but  that  a  three-fourths  vote  should  be  required  to 
authorize  the  publication  of  the  book  or  the  taking  of  either 
the  book  or  the  "Recording  Angel"  out  of  the  place  deter- 
mined on  for  their  safe  keeping — which,  for  the  present,  was 
to  be  in  the  box  in  the  vault  of  the  Deposit  Building  at  Clyde, 
where  it  had  so  long  rested  in  silence. 

After  the  others  had  gone  to  their  rooms  Arndt  said  to 
Robert,  "I  suppose  you  are  right;  in  fact  I  am  convinced 
that  you  are ;  but  it  certainly  does  seem  a  great  pity  that  the 


278  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

truth,  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth  cannot  be 
told  at  once.  But  I  will  confess  that  I  have  had  qualms  all 
along  about  using  information  secured  as  this  was.  There  is 
a  quality  of  treachery  about  it  that  I  find  very  unpalatable. 
It  is  true  we  are  virtually  in  a  state  of  war;  and  Chambers 
evidently  thought  so — and  that  war  justified  anything  that 
would  beat  your  enemy.  Now,  we  want  to  convert  ours  and 
bring  them  into  our  ranks,  if  it  can  be  done — and  the  old 
method  of  education  is  the  best." 

Robert  heartily  agreed,  but  ended  by  saying:  "But  if  they 
bring  about  a  state  of  actual  war,  I,  for  one,  will  certainly 
vote  to  use  the  weapon  Chambers  has  placed  in  our  hands; 
and  by  actual  war  I  mean  carrying  their  tactics,  as  they  have 
heretofore  several  times  done,  to  the  point  of  having  workers 
shot  down  or  imprisoned  on  hatched  up  pretexts.  Let  me 
tell  you  Charlie,  your  scruples  are  suited  to  the  Socialist 
state ;  but  under  capitalism  you  will  find  them  unworkable.  I 
agree  that  for  the  present  the  truth  must  be  suppressed — 
but  it  is  certainly  hard  on  us  and  on  the  'Recording  Angel.'  " 

"Yes,"  said  Arndt  solemnly,  "if  their  plans  for  disfran- 
chising the  workers  materialize,  they  must  be  convicted  of 
this  infamous  conspiracy — and  to  do  that  the  words  of  their 
own  mouths  must  rise  in  condemnation  against  them.  The 
'Recording  Angel'  must  then,  regardless  of  consequences,  be 
given  free  course." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Dust  to  dust !     Ashes  to  ashes  ! 

And  then  the  New-Life  morn. 

The  next  day  Robert  passed  in  almost  unrelieved  solitude, 
for  Arndt  had  been  compelled  to  go  with  Chandler  to  Clyde 
to  attend  to  the  disposition  of  the  body  of  Chambers,  which 
still  lay  at  the  morgue,  and  to  distribute  the  money  left  in 
their  care. 

When  they  came  to  that  part  of  their  duties  they  recol- 
lected the  widow  of  the  operator  killed  by  the  sheriff,  and 
although  his  name  was  not  on  the  list  furnished  by  Chambers 
they  immediately  went  to  see  the  woman.  They  found  that 
her  husband  had  been  buried  on  the  preceding  day ;  that  she 
had  spent  almost  her  last  dollar  in  funeral  expenses,  and  that 
she  had  nothing  to  depend  upon  except  her  own  labor  to  sup- 
port herself  and  three  children. 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  reach  the  decision  which 
appropriated  a  third  of  the  money  left  by  Chambers  to  her 
permanent  relief,  and  when  they  had  divided  the  remainder 
among  the  parties  named  on  the  list  and  sent  checks  for  the 
amounts  to  the  recipients  of  his  bounty  they  drew  a  sigh  of 
relief. 

"What  an  accursed  system  it  is !"  said  Chandler.  "How 
it  breeds  vice  and  crime  and  hatred,  revenge  and  remorse. 
Time  and  again  I  have  been  heartsick  while  prosecuting  crim- 
inals in  the  courts,  and  often  I  have  felt  the  utter  futility  of 
the  whole  procedure." 

Arndt  made  no  reply;  but  after  a  few  moments,  and  just 
before  taking  leave  of  his  friend,  he  said,  "I  have  a  little  the 
bitterest  thing  of  all  yet  to  do.  The  works  start  tomorrow, 
and  I  shall  not  be  in  them — and  I  find  myself  just  about  bank- 
rupt. There  is  a  little  coming  to  me  on  my  pay  from  Mr. 
Endy ;  but  I  cannot  escape  accepting  Robert's  proposition. 
He  wants  to  go  abroad  at  once  and  come  in  contact  with  the 
leaders  of  the  Socialist  movement  in  foreign  lands,  and  study, 

279 


280  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

for,  say,  six  months  or  so ;  and  he  insists  that  I  shall  go  with 
him,  saying  that  the  money  we  will  use  belongs  as  much  to 
me  as  to  him,  since  it  was  left  in  trust  for  the  cause ;  and  I 
suppose  that  if  we  are  to  do  effective  work  it  would  be  a 
wise  move.  But  you,  who  have  known  me  all  my  life,  can 
imagine  how  I  feel  about  going  on  such  terms.  I  am  wild  to 
be  doing  for  the  cause,  not  receiving  from  it.  But  Hartleigh 
says  that  Robert  is  right ;  that  it  will  be  best  for  the  cause  to 
have  things  quiet  down  for  a  while  and  let  the  workers  find 
out  for  themselves  just  what  Martinvale  is  going  to  do  with 
and  for  them,  and  that  both  of  us  need  rest  and  change  and 
time  to  forget  the  bitterness  which  we  are  at  present  bound  to 
feel.  Well,  certa/inly  my  own  sense  of  my  ignorance  of  how 
to  go  to  work  at  this  new  business  and  of  what  is  best  to  do 
and  not  to  do,  is  great  enough,  God  knows !  Still,  of  all  the 
bitter  things  that  ever  I  had  to  do,  this  is  the  bitterest." 

"What  about  Nettie  ?"  his  friend  inquired. 

Then  Arndt  told  him  all  and  added,  "So  far  as  she  is  con- 
cerned there  would  be  little  difference  between  my  being 
across  the  Atlantic  or  being  at  Steelton.  And,  in  fact,  I 
could  not  make  a  living  in  Steelton  today.  I  am  blacklisted, 
you  are  aware.  I  shall  feel  easier  about  her  and  Annie, 
knowing  that  you  and  your  good  wife  will  do  all  you  can  for 
them  while  I  am  away.  I  shall  give  my  pet  to  Nettie  beforo 
I  leave." 

And  then  he  said  good-bye  and  hastened  to  the  sta- 
tion. 

On  the  train  he  saw  Baker  and  went  over  to  where  he 
was  seated  and  exchanged  seats  with  the  gentleman  beside 
him.  As  soon  as  Arndt  was  comfortably  fixed  he  said: 
"Well,  did  you  and  the  others  who  stood  by  me  yesterday 
obey  orders  and  attend  Mr.  Craggie's  funeral  today  ?" 

"Not  much  we  didn't!"  said  Baker,  "and  I'll  tell  you  that 
while  there  was  a  tremendous  crowd  I  didn't  hear  of  any 
Socialists  being  there,  and  many  a  member  of  the  Union  at 
Clyde  was  absent.  No,  Sir!  There  were  telegrams  of  con- 
dolence sent  to  his  relatives  by  every  crowned  head  on  the 
globe.  We  didn't  send  any.  Instead,  the  five  of  us  called  a 
meeting  and  told  all  who  attended  just  how  you  had  been 
treated  and  how  they  had  lost  by  calling  the  strike  off  at  this 
time ;  and  I  think  that  the  news  is  spreading  rapidly.     Now 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  281 

we  want  a  copy  of  that  plan  of  Mr.  Endy's  that  Martinvale 
agreed  to  put  in  operation,  and  we  are  going  to  publish 
it." 

"I  will  have  to  consult  Robert  Endy  about  that,"  said 
Arndt;  "for  Mr.  Endy  himself,  at  the  last,  saw  that  it  had 
not  been  accepted  as  he  intended  it  and  that  it  would  be  used 
— like  all  similar  plans — simply  to  defer  the  coming  in  of 
Socialism.  He  died  an  avowed  Socialist,  and  his  son  stands 
pledged  to  use  his  wealth  to  further  that  cause." 

"That  explains  it !"  said  Baker. 

"What?" 

"The  order  to  start  the  mills  tomorrow ;  the  order  that 
says  that  every  man  who  does  not  report  tomorrow  morning 
will  have  to  hunt  another  job.  Now  you  see  how  it  is.  You 
must  not  blame  the  men !  They  will  just  simply  have  to 
be  working  at  the  hour  set  for  the  burial  of  the  man  who  did 
more  for  them  than  any  other  mortal  ever  did." 

Arndt  said  sadly:  "I  shall  not  blame  them;  but  after  this 
I  do  not  see  how  they  can  call  themselves  free.  Martinvale 
owns  them.  What  does  a  brass  tag  more  or  less  matter  to  a 
man  that  dares  not  attend  the  funeral  of  his  best  friend. 
Martinvale  could  very  well  yield  on  that  point." 

Baker  hung  his  head  in  shame  as  he  said :  "About  that 
best  friend  business,  you  know.  Didn't  Mr.  Endy  revoke 
that  will  and  give  everything  to  his  son  and  refuse  to  aid  the 
strikers  further,  at  the  last?  That's  the  song  and  dance 
that  the  Trueman  clique  are  putting  up  for  us  now." 

Arndt  said  hotly:  "That  is  another  of  those  damnable 
half-truths  that  such  men  as  Martinvale  feed  to  the  toilers  by 
the  hands  of  such  traitors  as  Trueman,  and  which  we,  the 
workers,  always  swallow  without  chewing.  Mr.  Endy  with- 
drew no  support  from  the  men ;  for  he  had  had  the  assur- 
ance of  Martinvale  which  made  the  end  of  the  strike  no 
further  off  than  the  first  of  March ;  and  he  simply  gave  all 
instead  of  a  part  of  his  estate  to  the  workers  when  he  be- 
queathed it  to  Robert  Endy  with  instructions  to  use  it  for 
Socialism.  I  myself  wrote  Trueman  about  it  and  informed 
him  fully  of  all  the  facts." 

"I  know,  I  know,  I  understand !"  said  Baker ;  "but  you 
can  see  how  it  is  that  Trueman  was  able  to  muster  such  a 
crowd  at  Craggie's  funeral  today ;  they  think  that  Mr.  Endy 


282  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

deserted  them  and  that  Trueman  and  Martinvale  are  their 
saviours — and  both  of  them  ordered  the  men  to  turn  out." 

Arndt  smiled  bitterly,  and  then  Baker  said,  "And  then, 
you  know  there's  always  an  unaccountable  number  who  are 
glad  for  the  chance  at  a  free  trip  ten  miles  up  the  river  to  a 
twenty-million-dollar  mausoleum — no  matter  whose  funeral 
it  is,  and  no  matter  who  they  honor  by  going.  I  prefer  the 
blacklist." 

"Don't  let  it  make  you  bitter  against  the  boys,"  said 
Arndt.  "Just  remember  that  we  have  Socialism  to  thank  for 
not  being  duped  ourselves.  Their  time  for  seeing  things 
straight  is  near  at  hand.  Robert  knows  Martinvale  well,  and 
has  been  telling  me  some  things  about  him.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  for  a  living  ?" 

They  were  leaving  the  car  when  Arndt  asked  this  ques- 
tion. 

"Faith,  and  I  don't  know !"  said  Baker  carelessly  as  he 
turned  to  go ;  "but  I'm  an  able-bodied,  skilled  mechanic,  and 
willing  to  work,  and — even  though  the  Union  has  shook  me 
— I  don't  feel  less  competent  to  earn  a  living  than  heretofore ; 
and  I  don't  propose  to  starve  in  a  land  of  plenty  simply  be- 
cause others  have  my  share  of  the  universe  locked  up." 

"Go  and  see  Hartleigh,"  said  Arndt,  "he  has  a  new  fund 
and  will  set  you  to  work." 

Arndt  found  it  rather  a  bitter  thing  to  be  compelled  to 
inform  his  friend  of  what  to  expect,  but  he  felt  that  it  would 
be  cruel  not  to  do  so.  As  it  turned  out  there  was  a  much 
better  and  larger  attendance  than  they  had  any  reason  to 
expect  under  the  circumstances,  for  some  of  the  men  saw 
through  things  and  asserted  their  manhood  and  defied  the 
order,  and  Hartleigh  brought  all  the  Socialists  he  could  mus- 
ter in  Clyde. 

After  all  was  over  Hartleigh  and  his  wife  went  back  with 
the  family  party  to  the  mansion,  and  that  same  afternoon 
Annie  and  Nettie  accompanied  them  to  their  home  in  Clyde 
to  begin  their  new  life. 

Robert  and  Arndt  delayed  their  departure  until  after  the 
first  of  March.  Robert  had  readily  agreed  to  the  publication 
of  his  father's  plan  in  full ;  but  he  did  not  let  Baker  send  any 
of  the  booklets  out  until  the  next  day ;  that  is,  the  second. 
On  the  first,  he  attended  the  meeting  of  stockholders  of  the 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  283 

Iron  and  Steel  Company  and  confronted  Martinvale  with  it 
and  demanded  to  know  whether  he  intended  to  keep  the 
promise  he  had  made  to  Robert  Endy,  Sr. 

Martinvale  replied  sarcastically,  "Do  I  intend  to  give 
away  millions  to  the  workers  needlessly?  The  whole  situa- 
tion changed  the  instant  Mr.  Craggie  died.  My  promises 
are  always  made  conditionally." 

Robert  had  had  a  copy  of  the  plan  of  re-organization 
handed  to  each  person  present  and  he  simply  turned  his  back 
on  Martinvale,  who  was  presiding,  and  addressed  them,  say- 
ing, "Every  gentleman  that  wishes  to  have  as  presiding  offi- 
cer of  this  corporation  a  man  whose  promises  cannot  be  relied 
on  can  secure  such  an  officer  by  voting  for  the  present  incum- 
bent.    For  myself,  I  prefer  an  honest  man." 

There  were  a  few  who  voted  against  Martinvale  on  ac- 
count of  the  occurrence;  but  the  vast  majority,  when  they 
read  of  the  generous  provision  for  the  welfare  of  the  workers 
as  set  forth  in  the  plan,  simply  censured  him  for  having  ever 
agreed  to  the  proposal  at  all. 

Robert  took  great  pleasure  in  voting  every  share  of  his 
own  and  all  the  proxies  he  had  been  able  to  secure,  against 
Martinvale — not,  however,  with  any  hope  of  defeating  him, 
but  only  as  a  moral  protest  against  his  acts  and  his  treachery. 

After  the  meeting  he  told  Chandler  to  not  sell  any  stock 
or  bonds  of  the  company,  since  it  was  evident  that  the  work- 
ers were  going  to  be  fleeced  to  the  quick — and  that  the  only 
way  for  them  to  ever  get  anything  in  return  would  be  to  read 
the  Socialist  literature  he  had  instructed  Hartleigh  to  send 
out  at  his  expense. 

On  their  return  from  that  exciting  meeting  both  Robert 
and  Arndt  realized  as  they  drew  up  before  the  door  of  the 
mansion  how  impossible  it  would  have  been  for  them  to 
have  continued  to  live  there.  The  place  seemed  as  silent  and 
lifeless  as  the  tomb.  The  faces  of  the  servants  were  sad,  and 
the  whole  atmosphere  of  the  place  was  so  depressing  that 
Robert  said : 

"Arndt,  we  must  leave  here  by  the  ten  o'clock  express.  I 
simply  cannot  endure  it." 

"There  will  be  no  difficulty  about  that,"  Arndt  replied. 
"Everything  has  been  arranged,  and  Rollins  will  be  in  charge 
and  doesn't  need  many  orders.      Leaving  now  will  give  us 


284  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

more  time  for  farewells  in  Clyde  tomorrow,  you  know.  That 
is  the  bright  side  of  this  cloud,  Comrade." 

It  was  then  almost  sunset,  and  by  eight  o'clock  they  were 
out  of  the  house  and  on  their  way  to  the  graveyard.  They 
had  left  the  mansion  on  foot,  and  not  one  word  was  spoken 
until  they  stood  beside  the  mound  of  bare  brown  earth  that 
covered  the  remains  of  Robert's  father.  Then  Arndt  said 
sadly,  as  he  leaned  against  the  rough-cut  granite  rock  that 
bore  the  names  of  MacDonald  and  Endy.  "The  day  when  the 
workingmen  of  the  world  shall  make  pilgrimages  to  this 
spot  is  not  yet;  but  so  surely  as  there  is  justice  in  the  heavens 
that  day  will  come — and  may  I  be  alive  to  see  it." 

Then  Robert  stepped  to  his  side  and  said:  "When  will 
the  workers  learn  to  know  and  stand  by  their  friends !  That 
is  the  most  discouraging  thing  about  it  all.  Now,  I  should 
say  nothing,  for  I  was  doing  my  best  to  bind  their  chains 
the  tighter  on  them ;  but  that  they  should  turn  against  you, 
who " 

But  Arndt  stopped  him.  "It  was  only  a  few  of  the  lead- 
ers; the  rank  and  file  never  did,  or  at  least  could  not  help 
themselves.  It  seems  that  there  are  certain  lessons  that  the 
race  must  be  taught,  and  they  can  be  taught  and  learned  in 
but  one  way.  I  was  one  of  the  men  that  consented  to  place 
almost  dictatorial  power  in  the  hands  of  a  few ;  I  thought  it 
was  necessary  in  order  to  checkmate  Craggie.  I  am  not 
going  to  cry  out — I  am  reaping  what  I  sowed.  It  is  bitter, 
certainly !  But  there  are  compensations  even  in  this ;  it  is 
worth  a  great  deal  to  a  man  who  has  been  almost  totally 
blind  to  see  clearly.  I  never  before  understood  why  all  the 
efforts  of  the  workers  to  emancipate  themselves  or  even  to 
better  their  condition  resulted  in  failure.  Now  I  see  clearly 
that  each  and  every  such  movement  had  in  itself  the  seed  of 
death  and  dissolution.  Nettie  was  emphatically  right:  Any 
movement  that  seeks  to  better  the  condition  of  but  a  class  is 
doomed.  In  its  very  essence  it  is  selfish — as  selfish  as  the 
rich.  The  wage  worker  who  wishes  to  thrive  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  farmer  is  just  as  bad  as  his  employer.  The 
Socialist  whose  Socialism  is  not  broad  enough  to  take  in  all 
workers  in  all  lands  (whether  they  work  with  the  hand  or  the 
brain)  has  his  Socialism  still  to  learn.  His  kind  will  never 
succeed — nor  indeed  should  it;  the  world  is  big  enough  for 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  285 

all,  and  there  is  happiness  enough  in  the  universe  to  go 
around.  The  Union  is  all  right  in  its  place  (and  I  shall  re- 
main an  active  worker  in  the  Union  till  I  die),  but  its  place  is 
as  an  equal  part  in  an  organic  whole  that  must  be  as  wide  as 
the  world  and  as  broad  as  the  human  race;  and,  that,  the 
Union  itself  can  never  be.  I  will  never  again  work  for  any- 
thing less  than  that.  It  took  my  recent  bitter  experience  to 
teach  me  this ;  you  can't  have  anything  but  men  as  narrow 
as  Trueman  as  leaders  in  a  narrow  movement — it  is  folly  to 
expect  it.  If  broadminded  men  stay  in  the  movement  they 
are  sure  to  advocate  something  beyond  it.  Again,  I  was  one 
of  those  men  who  made  the  mistake  of  advising  our  men  to 
submit  to  the  law  which  compelled  them  to  undergo  military 
training,  and  as  a  logical  consequence  of  that  error  we  told 
them  to  shoot  in  order  to  protect  property.  Now,  the  man 
or  cause  that  values  human  life  less  than  property  deserves  to 
fail.  I  was  a  slave  to  the  middle  class — neither  more  nor 
less!" 

Then  they  left  the  graveyard  and  Robert  did  not  reply 
until  they  were  well  on  their  way  to  the  depot,  when  he  said : 
"I  had  not  reasoned  that  out,  but  I  feel  that  your  conclusion 
is  correct.  As  Lowell  said  'How  can  any  man  be  truly  free 
while  there  is  a  single  slave  on  the  face  of  the  earth  ?'  " 

"That  needs  no  answer,"  said  Arndt ;  and  then  there  was 
silence  between  them  until  they  came  to  that  spot  in  the 
road  from  which  the  last  view  of  the  twinkling  lights  of  the 
mansion  could  be  had,  and  they  instinctively  turned  and 
glanced  that  way. 

Then  Robert  asked  Arndt,  "Charlie,  what  shall  I  do  with 
that?  It  isn't  right  to  have  it  standing  idle  in  a  world  where 
so  many  are  homeless.  That  beautiful  old  house  and 
grounds  must  be  doing  somebody  some  good." 

His  friend  replied  promptly,  "You  have  taken  my  words 
out  of  my  mouth.  How  would  it  do  to  have  Chandler  make 
all  the  preparations  quietly  and  get  the  names  of  a  lot  of 
socialist  orphans  who  need  a  home,  and  then,  when  all  is 
ready,  tell  Annie  and  Nettie  about  it  as  a  surprise.  I  think 
that  Annie  would  easily  imagine  herself  in  heaven  if  she  were 
daily  training  a  bunch  of  little  fellows  in  Socialism,  and  at  the 
same  time  giving  them  a  foretaste  of  what  the  Co-Operative 
Commonwealth  will  one  day  do  for  all  children.     And  Nettie 


286  THE  RECORDING  ANGEL 

would  be  delighted  to  aid  personally  and  financially,  I  know." 

"You  have  struck  it,  exactly,"  said  Robert  enthusias- 
tically. "I  will  support  it  out  of  my  private  means  if  others 
do  not  care  to  assist.  Why  didn't  I  think  of  it !  I  will  tell 
Chandler  to  give  the  preference  to  the  children  of  those  men 
whose  work  for  the  cause  has  kept  them  poor.  It  is  the  very 
thing !     We  will  attend  to  it  tomorrow." 

Arndt  was  rejoiced  to  see  how  cheerful  Robert  had  be- 
come, and  he  did  not  interrupt  his  happy  thoughts  with  use- 
less words. 

A  short  distance  further  on  they  passed  the  house  that 
Cassady  called  home.  March  had  "come  in  like  a  lamb"  and 
the  window  opening  onto  the  street  was  raised.  As  they  in- 
voluntarily paused,  the  voice  of  Cassady  was  heard  address- 
ing his  children : 

"Now,  then,  youngsters,  just  one  more  song  this  night. 
What  shall  it  be?" 

"Toilers  Arise!  Toilers  Arise!"  was  the  instant  and 
unanimous  decision. 

Robert  and  Arndt  stood  there  in  the  dark  and  listened  to 
that  best  and  noblest  song  and  battle  call  of  labor  until 
the  last  word  and  note  had  died  away,  and  as  they  started 
again  towards  their  destination  Arndt  said, 

"Would  to  God  that  the  poet's  vision  were  true  this  mo- 
ment and  that  the  long,  long  night  were  over.  Carpenter, 
one  of  the  world's  great  poets,  a  Socialist,  wrote  it,  you 
know." 

Robert  said  candidly :  "No,  I  did  not  know.  Poetry  and 
song  have  been  strangers  to  me  since  the  day  I  threw  the  rein 
on  the  neck  of  soul-destroying  ambition.  That  is  the  first 
time  I  ever  heard  it,  and  I  shall  never  forget  that  time. 

"It  is  truly  a  noble,  soul-stirring  song.  I  believe  that  if 
we  could  get  them  all  singing  it  with  the  understanding  as 
well  as  with  the  voice  we  might  bring  in  that  brighter  day — 
and  soon.  You  are  right,  Arndt,  you  are  right!  We 
sing  too  little.  The  only  chance  to  forget  the  past  and  es- 
cape the  ghosts  that  haunt  its  memories  is  to  sing." 

Arndt  knew  well  to  what  particular  ghost  Robert  referred. 
He  had  hesitated  to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject;  now  he  re- 
plied emphatically  :  "There  are  some  ghosts  that  can't  be  laid. 
I  would  at  once  call  Arthur  off  that  case  and  let  the  ghost  re- 


THE  RECORDING  ANGEL  287 

appear  or  not,  as  the  future  may  determine.  From  what  we 
know  of  Chambers  we  may  readily  conclude  that  he  stopped 
at  nothing  to  make  certain  of  success.  He  was  desperate, 
for  he  realized  that  his  time  was  short  and  that  the  thing  he 
had  set  out  to  do  was  still  uncertain  of  accomplishment." 

Robert  did  not  reply  until  they  had  arrived  at  the  station 
and  secured  their  tickets  and  were  pacing  arm-in-arm  up  and 
down  the  platform  waiting  for  the  fast-approaching  train  that 
was  to  bear  them  away  for  so  long  a  time  from  the  dear  and 
familiar  scenes,  and  then  he  said : 

"Again  you  are  right.  That  is  the  proper  course  to  pur- 
sue." 

"I  am  glad  that  you  agree  with  me,"  said  Arndt  heartily, 
"It  is  Dust  to  Dust !  Ashes  to  Ashes !  Let  the  dead  past  bury 
its  dead.  We  face  the  untried  future.  It  belongs  to  Love, 
to  Friendship,  and  to  the  Comrade  cause.  Can  it  be  wholly 
dark?" 

And  without  waiting  for  any  reply,  he  (in  the  same  low- 
voiced  and  sympathetic  tone  that  Nettie  had  listened  to  on 
that  night  she  never  will  forget),  said : 

"Aye,  Dust  to  Dust!  Ashes  to  Ashes! — and  from  Dust 
and  Ashes.     This: 

"And  from  out  the  lives  of  the  countless  slaves  that  have  toiled  and 

prayed  and  died, 
And  from  out  their  dust,  deep,  deep,  in  graves,  and  on  summits  for 

which  they  tried, 
And  from  out  their  ashes  that  then  held  fire,  and  from  out  their 

breath  of  prayer — 
On  the  morrow  shall  bloom  your  heart's  desire, — with  its  roots  in 

the  ashes  there. 

Oh,  the  ashes  and  dust !     Oh,  the  ashes  and  dust !  and  the  blood  and 

the  tears  it  takes  ! 
But  the  blooms  and  the  leaves  and  the  stems  say  MUST!  and  the 

fruit  full  repayment  makes. 
And    the    morrow    shall    dawn, — perchance,    next   morn, — when   the 

fruit  shall  be  plainly  seen: 
O,  heart's  desire,  that  has  never  a  thorn  for  the  hand  of  a  child  to 

glean!" 


THE    END. 


DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


